Epsilon: A Pokémon Y nuzlocke
by KivaEnergyArms
Summary: In the loosely adapted retold events of Pokémon Y a boy becomes a trainers against his will and forced to play tag with the Angel of Death...
1. Prologue

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE

"Your evil ends here, Brycen-Man! The warrior of justice is here, Accelguard!" That's what a guy in a full-body Accelgor-based superhero uniform said. True to his uniform, an Accelgor was by his side. Along with the very corny lines it said, it also made some gestures his arms, pointing, clenching hands into fists and raising his arm sideways up. The Accelgor mimicked its movements.

"This is what they send to stop my dark arts? Pathetic. But also admirably brave. Still, those who defy the great Brycen-Man shall be destroyed!" the villain with an admittingly bad fashion sense, his purple and green outfit with a high collar and bare chest, and the grey hair in ponytail, said. By his side was a Beartic who bared his fangs and claws.

The two rushed at each other, and so did their Pokémon. They jumped up, both the Accelguard and Brycen-Man launched a punch, as the Accelgor glowed with a red aura and charged, as the Beartic's hand was engulfed in blue icy energy, and as soon as the fists of the humans and the attacks of the Pokemon collided, there was a huge explosion…

And the title of the special came onto the screen: 'Toku special: Hero Rider Accelguard vs. Brycen-Man.'

And a young boy cheered in front of his TV in ecstasy. "Go Hero Rider, Go Hero Rider!" the kid was kind of geeky when it came to superheroes. His brown eyes twinkled every time he saw them on screen. His skin was tanned and had darkish brown hair, giving him something of a Hispanic look.

As the special was just getting started, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" A feminine voice sounded. A Jynx with an apron went to get the door. It was the kid's nanny. Psychic types were often very intelligent, enough to almost live like a human, and watched the kid for her mistress whenever she went off for business.

The door opened and a woman with blue eyes, brown hair and a sportive looking bodysuit came in. "I always forget my keys…" she said sheepishly. This was the kid's mom, Grace.

"You'd forget your own head if it wasn't stuck to your shoulders." The Jynx said jokingly. "Maurice, your mother is home!" the Jynx said.

"Mommy!" the kid shouted in joy as he jumped out of the couch (after putting his movie on pause) and almost tackled her to the ground in the hug. "How was training? I bet you and Rocksteady are going to win the next race for sure!" the kid, apparently called Maurice, said to his mother. Grace was a Rhyhorn racer, and one fo the best out there.

Grace looked tired, and despite her young age, seemed to like ten years older as of recent. "Mommy's going to be fine, sweetie. Oh, almost forgot…it's a bit early, but Happy Birthday." She said as she pulled something from inside her uniform, a small round package.

Maurice took it an eagerly ripped the wrapping off. He was so curious about what was inside…and then he saw it. A Pokéball…a Luxury Ball to be exact. "Is it really…a Pokémon of my own?" he asked.

"Yes. You wanted one for so long, and I finally managed to get one. Go on, open it up and see which one is inside." She said.

Maurice pushed the button and it opened up, and out came a small fox-like Pokémon with red hair spouting out of his ears. "A Fennekin! Oh he's so adorable." The little fox Pokémon barked happily as Maurice held it in his arms and licked his new master. "I'm going to call you 'Haruto'! You like that name?" The Fennekin yipped happily at that.

Grace had a warm smile on her face. Nothing brought her more joy then the joy of her own son. But shortly after she started to stumble and almost fell if it wasn't for the Jynx catching her. "Grace, are you ok?"

"Mommy?" the kid asked.

"I'm ok…just really tired. Why don't you and Haruto play a bit and get to bond, I am going to help Icy make dinner." She said as she sat down.

"Ok mommy. Haruto, let's go and play." Maurice said as he and Haruto left the room. Grace sighed as her smile faded from her face.

The Jynx, called Icy, started to sound worried: "Grace, what was that just now? You seem to have that a lot lately. I thought you were tired first and I didn't want to probe your mind, but it's happening more frequently…I'm worried; and if you won't tell I'll be forced to read your mind."

"I got a medical check-up…I'm having heart-problems. And during the race…the adrenaline rush and the increased heartbeat may make it more dangerous for me. I'll have to retire soon. And I'll lose my income…" Grace said sadly. Grace regretted not finishing school and devote herself only to her racing career.

"And you still bought that Fennekin for Maurice? Couldn't you have bought him a dvd or anything? We'll have another mouth to feed and…not that I want Haruto out of the house but…how are you going to explain this all to little Maurice?" Icy asked.

"I don't know…for now I don't want to ruin his birthday. Tomorrow his friends come along for a party and…I'll tell him later. All I wanted for him is to be happy for now. He's a smart boy, he'll understand when I get to explain. We'll find a solution to this, given time…" Grace said. "Let's just fix dinner. Tonight I'm making spaghetti, Maurice's favorite."

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

In that same house, a Fletchling was flying around. It flew up the stairs and into a room, where it flew down near a pillow, where someone's head lay down. It cleared its throat and then let out the loudest 'Growl' attack it could muster. "Argh! Darn it Witherwing! Can't you just let my alarm clock wake me up?" the person who was formerly sleeping shouted.

"Where would be the fun in that?" the Fletchling said (helped thanks to the translation device in the ring around his leg) and flew off.

"Bloody bird!" The guy got up, and we can take another good look at him. It was the little Maurice, only not so little anymore because right now he was all grown up right now.

Next to his bed was a smaller bed, holding his pet Fennekin Haruto. He was also woken up by Witherwing's performance. "Why the heck did your mom catch that thing?" he was as annoyed by the abrupt awakening as his master. Thanks to his translation collar device he could also properly speak with Maurice.

"Never mind…let's get going, the professor is waiting." Maurice said as he got dressed. He worked at Professor Sycamore's lab in Lumiose City, which was quite far away but nothing he couldn't do without taking a bus and it paid the bills. Haruto always went along because Professor Sycamore liked to compare strength of domesticated and newly caught Pokémon as well as Haruto trying to comfort new starter Pokémon and warming them up to humans.

With his mom being forced to abandon her career due to heart problems, she had a hard time finding a well-paying job that isn't a hazard to her health so Maurice had to get a job to help pay the bills, and what better way than as a junior aide at Sycamore's. He was an old friend of Grace so he knew how badly they needed it and gave him the job. Grace refused to borrow money, but was ok with her son earning the money for his job.

Icy already has readied her breakfast. Grace had to leave early due to the early shift she had to work. But Maurice understood. Not his life was easy. Grace tried real hard to provide for both of them but it got harder even with Maurice helping out.

Maurice had considered becoming a trainer several times. Trainers always earn a lot of money with victories. However, once losing you could easily lose half your money. But only the good ones actually made money out of it. Very rarely anyone could get rich. Many trainers gave up early but also too late to realize they wasted a valuable part of their life they could have used for a different education. Maurice knew a lot about Pokémon due to his job and he was convinced he may be great…he would be really desperate to take a huge risk.

It was evident real trainers that were going through until the end were nowadays nonexistent. Most of the elite four hadn't had a decent challenge in a long time and Gym Leaders barely got any challengers. There is a reason most of them took a second job to earn money or prevent boredom. One could become a teacher, another could work at a sports gym, or one could study mythology.

Maurice thanked Icy for the breakfast, before he and Haruto left. As soon as he got outside, his mom's Rhyhorn, Rocksteady stood up and affectionately nuzzled him, as far as a giant rocky rhino could. "Good morning too, big lug. I know mom hasn't been around much…But I have to work too." Maurice said as he tossed one of the waffles Icy made into his tray, on top of the Pokémon food. Maurice felt bad for being unable to make time for the big beast, who was probably bored to death and lonely all day, but he couldn't help it.

He just took the bus lower down the street, sitting down in a seat as soon as he got in, Haruto on his lap. He saw his colleague, a fellow junior aide at Sycamore's lab, already on the bus. This was Serena, a blonde haired girl with a black shirt and a red skirt. She also had a pet, a Froakie named Kero, but he was always almost sleeping, like he was doing right now in her lap. "Morning Maurice, how's life treating you?" she asked.

"Terrible, like always." Maurice said. Maurice hated his honesty at times. "Sycamore said that someone is desperate enough to become a trainer again. I certainly hope that whoever it is he or she is smart or skilled enough, otherwise they wouldn't last long. Would be a waste one's love for Pokémon to be repaid that way."

"True. Just don't pull that trick you did last time, it isn't any better if you try to scare people away from training." Serena said.

"Hey, I wanted to make sure that kid would go through with it, not my fault he got cold feet and decided to be a musician instead." Maurice said.

At the next stop, someone else walked in and sat down next to Maurice, the only free seat. He had short ginger hair, baby blue eyes and freckles. He seemed interested in Haruto's Fennekin. "Whoa, that's one nice looking Fennekin. You must take care of it really well."

"He sure does, bub! Me and Morry here are like bros." Haruto said enthusiastic.

The newcomer twitched in surprise. "Oh yeah…new translation tech. I still got to get used to that. What they won't event nowadays…by the way, I'm Quincy. Quincy Sharps."

"Nice meeting you, I'm Maurice. Wataru Maurice. And this little tyke is Haruto. And this is my friend Serena." Maurice introduced them.

"Hi. Serena Walker. And this is Kero." She said as she gestured at the narcoleptic frog Pokémon on her lap. "Never mind." She said. She loved her Kero deeply but felt embarrassed when the thing would always sleep.

"I would like to draw them. I'm aspiring to be an artist…but right now I'm taking a job as a mapmaker due to my drawing skills until I can get a manga series of the ground. Quite ironically I have no sense of direction. But at least I'm pretty sure I'll be heading for Vaniville." Quincy said with a bright smile on his face.

"Er…sorry to bust your bubble, Quince, but Vaniville is the other way, you're on the wrong bus." Maurice said.

"Oh Muk! Why does this always happen to me? Oh well, I can take the bus in the other direction later, can I draw your Pokémon?" Quincy asked.

"Maybe some other time, me and Serena need to go off at the next stop, in Lumiose. We work as Junior Aides at a lab." Maurice said.

"Say, if you want you can come, maybe you can sketch some of the Pokémon at the lab, Sycamore is lenient towards anyone with a love of Pokémon." Serena suggested.

"Really? Can I?" Quincy asked. "That'd be great."

"Say, you clearly like Pokémon, don't you have any of your own?" Maurice asked.

"I have, but they are in their Balls, they get carsick easy. I can show them later. Now, is this the stop?" Quincy noted as the bus stopped.

"This is it, come along, artist to be." Maurice noted as they got out of the bus, and right across the street was the lab.

A man, who looked quite young for a professor, waited for them. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. "Ah Maurice, Serena. Just in time to welcome the new trainer. Oh, you brought a friend?"

"This is Quincy, aspires to be an artist one day. He likes to make Pokémon sketches. We thought we'd do him a favor by showing the Pokémon at the lab." Maurice noted.

"Excellent, anyone who loves Pokémon is fine in my book. Come in, we'll soon are going to give a trainer her new Pokémon and that will be a touching sight someone just has to immortalize on paper!" Sycamore said as he gave an affectionate backslap to Quincy, who almost tilted over. "As long as Maurice doesn't pull his trick again…"

"I already told you I was sorry. Geez, do it once and they won't let it go. Say, you said the trainer was a 'she'. Is she cute?" Maurice asked with a smug grin. Serena slapped the back of his head. "Ouch! What did I say?"

"She should be arriving any second, in the meantime let's get some work done." Sycamore said as they got inside the lab. The hour that passed wasn't very eventful as they fed some starter Pokémon at the lab, checked their health, archived some reports ect.

Though Quincy had the time of his life as he drew a posing Haruto and a still sleeping Kero. On his shoulder, a tiny Flabébé was perched, let outside her ball after the bus ride. Quicny's drawing were actually pretty good. "I can't wait for the day I don't have to draw maps anymore, no longer get lost every other day and instead keep doing this…" Quincy said with a happy smile onto his face.

"Dreams you have to make happen, things aren't going to be tossed into your lap. Just keep getting better at drawing." Maurice said as he moved a box of potions elsewhere. "It's like with training. Many aren't willing to push through and as a result…I'm not going to continue but you can finish that sentence yourself." Maurice said.

"Ah! Our guest has arrived!" Sycamore said as he heard the doorbell ring. He pushed a button and spoke into it. "Come right in, Shauna, your new partner awaits."

After that, a girl with a pink shirt, jeans shorts, brown hair in pigtails and green eyes came in. She was twitchy. Maurice looked disappointed, as if he knew from the start that this girl was not what he expected. "Oh wow I can't believe I'm going to get my own Pokémon and oh, is he inside one of those tiny balls? How do they get something inside that tiny ball? Oh, and is there going to be a device so I can hear him speak of which I heard so much about and where can I buy some nice accessories for my darling new Pokémon…" and she wouldn't stop talking.

"Easy, easy." Sycamore said, sweating at the onslaught of questions. "First, you'll get your Pokémon, then you get a Pokédex, which acts to record data, as well as to translate the speech of the Pokémon you catch. It is also outfitted with a GPS that show the nearest Pokécenters and trainer shops. Now stay right here as I'll fetch him for you."

Shauna was left with Maurice, Serena and Quincy. Shauna stared at Maurice. "Are you trainers too? You are here with Sycamore so I thought you may be trainers too and oh my what a darling Fennekin. I bet my Pokémon is just as darling and oh, is that Froakie alive, he hasn't move an inch since I stepped in and I'm suddenly hungry now, where can I eat a lot of food for cheap? Hey, can I…"

"BREATHE, FOR ARCEUS' SAKE. There is a difference between being excited and being a motormouth." Maurice said, annoyed by her constant babbling.

"Maurice, that was not very nice…" Serena said.

"It's ok." Shauna said, apparently not hurt at all, still looking as happy as ever. "Most people are too polite to be honest with me. I like it better when they are honest because it's nice they lie to spare my feelings but it's still a lie and thank you for not lying and oh I am babbling again, am I?" Shauna continued to rant.

"I am back, here is your stuff!" Sycamore said as he handed Shauna a Pokédex and her Pokéball.

Shauna squealed in a high pitched excited tone as she snatched them and then let her new Pokémon out. It was a Chespin. "Ah, finally I get to meet my trainer, one that without a doubt is a tough strong person who will help me unlock the potential I have and…" the Chespin said, but then noticed Shauna. He looked a bit disappointed. "She'll have to do."

"Oh, you're so darling! I'm going to name you Chester, because you're a Chespin and both Chester and Chespoin start with 'Ches', it's clever what I did there right?" she said, ranting again. Maurice resisted the urge to put his fingers in his ear. "Oh, I haven't practiced battling yet but I haven't seen someone who wants to spar because there aren't much trainers left and all and hey can someone tell me where to find them?"

"Me and Serena, while not professional trainers, love to spar in our free time, if it makes sure it shuts you up, I will spar with you!" Maurice said.

"Really? Oh, you're so great!" Shauna said, delighted. "Me and Chester are going to give it our all. Let's go, my darling Chester!" she got a look of determination on her face that looked odd on her, but it was a nice change of pace.

"This is more like it, I think I can get used to this girl. Ore sanjou!" Chester said as he readied himself.

"Let's show them the basics, Haruto. If you're up for it." Maurice said.

"You kidding? I like a good workout." Haruto said as the fox-like Pokémon took a battle stance.

Shauna gave the first order. "Ok, start it off with Vine Whip, Chester!" she said. Chester eagerly sprouted two vines from his neck, which shot at Haruto. But Haruto was faster and dodged them. "You have the reach, you can take him from afar, keep going!" Shauna said, as Chester continued to launch but fail to land his Vine Whips.

"Grab that vine." Maurice said, surprisingly calm. Haruto grabbed the two vines in his paw. "Pull in and scorch him." Haruto yanked the vines, pulling Chester closer and then launched an Ember at his face at close range. It immediately knocked Chester out.

"Chester…" Shauna said, surprisingly silent after that. She picked up her Pokémon. "Oh…this was not the first battle I wanted…"

"You did well for your first time." Maurice said. Shauna looked at him confused. "Despite the type advantage you did well. You had the better idea to keep distance instead of charging in head-first. Winning your first battle is rare, and no one is able to win all battles. You may talk a lot, but you have a lot of bite too."

"I…" Shauna said as she blushed. She turned her head away.

"But get this. There aren't many trainers who don't go through until the end and give up too easily. And I hate to see that happen to you. Raise your head, charge ahead and get stronger, but don't give up. It'd be a shame if words of wisdom would be wasted like that." Maurice added.

Shauna got up. "I will. I promise I won't be a quitter. I promise to get stronger." Shauna said determined.

"This scene would make excellent material for the intro of a manga story. The battle allowed me to make a few wonderful sketches." Quincy said as he revealed a sketch he made of the fight between Chester and Haruto. "And I have decided something, I also won't give up to live out my dream of being a manga artist."

"I can't believe it, you did the exact opposite of your blunder last time. You do learn from your mistakes after all." Serena noted. She also had noticed Shauna's blush earlier and whispered: "…and gained the romantic attention of someone."

"Can't argue with her taste." Maurice said. "Even if she's not my type." he whispered.

"That was a wonderful battle to behold. So, who is up for lunch? My treat!" Sycamore said happily. As the nearby kids cheered however, Sycamore received a phone call. "Just one moment though. Hello. Yes, he's here. I'll tell him…Maurice, someone on the line for you!"

Sycamore passed the phone to Maurice. "Hello, Wataru Maurice? Yes, I'm the son of Wataru Grace. SHE'S WHAT? I'm coming right away." Maurice had grown panicked over the course of the phone call.

"Maurice, what is up?" Serena asked worried.

"My mom…she got a heart attack, she's in the hospital…I got to see her…it's critical." Maurice said, sounding sad an panicked.

"I'll call a cab. We got to see her right away." Sycamore said.

"Darn it…she took her meds, she was being more careful, how could this have happened?" Maurice said, down on his knees as he punched the ground.

"Keep calm Maurice…our friends are coming with us, Grace will be all right." Haruto said, the Fennekin doing his best to comfort his master. "At least I hope she will be." He thought to himself.

TO BE CONTINUED

I have returned with a new Nuzlocke. Last time I had no ideas to continue or finish the locke, but this time I completely planned out the story before I would get working on this. I can't say I can post this on a regular base, I'll just start writing when I can't think of anything for my Sonic or Teen Titans fanfics.

Now, it's as you see a loose adaptation of Pokémon Y. I loved the game but a lot of the characters are bland and have to be either retooled or edited.

Quincy is supposed to be a fusion of Tierno and Trevor, only with more personality.

Hope you enjoy and leave comments. I just hope it was a decent start.


	2. Birth of trainer, start of game

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER ONE: BIRTH OF A TRAINER, THE START OF THE GAME

"What is wrong with her? How bad is it? Is there a cure? Anything?" Maurice was raving at the doctor. He, Sycamore and Serena had gone to the hospital as soon as they heard the news.

"Please calm down first…" the doctor said as Maurice has been shaking him around in panic. Serena pulled Maurice of him as the doctor finally could explain. "Though your mom has been very careful, this is something that came out of nowhere. We can't seem to figure out an exact cause…but we know it's very bad. She is now in a deep coma."

"What does it need for her to get better?" Maurice asked sadly.

"She needs a new heart. And not any heart, we can only give her a heart of someone with the same blood type, and be it that she has the rarest blood type there is, there aren't any donor hearts in Kalos available at the moment, so it has to come from outside the country. Not to mention that she may need to take meds for the rest of her life so her body won't reject the new heart. If she even is able to wake up at all." The doctor repeated, and he clearly didn't enjoy bringing the news. "And I'm going to say in advance, the medical bills are going to be pricy."

"You got to be kidding me! There is a solution but still there is nothing we can do? She's way too young to die. Isn't there…there has to…" Maurice said, on the point of breaking down myself.

"Maurice, you have to calm down if we are to…" Serena tried to say, but Maurice snapped back at her.

"I will only calm down if I can find a way to take my mom's pain away, have her be healthy again, and pay for the medical bills. Until then, don't tell me to calm down." Maurice shouted. Soon after, he realized his mistake and answered: "I'm sorry…I just…I just want…I need to see my mom. Can I?"

The doctor just nodded as he guided Maurice in. There Grace was, tied to a machine to help her breathe, several IV bags connected to her arm. His mom, despite her condition always seemed so strong, and the way she was there now…so unlike her. She had worked her ass off to provide for him on her own. Maurice didn't know what to say. He just held her hand. "I don't know…I just don't know where to go from here…what to do to help…I'm sorry mom!"

Maurice had been in there a long time, before he finally got out of the room. "I'm going to get a drink." He just said flatly.

"Haruto, go with him, so he won't hurt himself or anything." Serena asked worried to the little Fennekin. "You're like his brother, you know what to say."

"I can't make promises. But I'll try." Haruto said as he chased after Maurice.

"Maurice can't provide for the medical bills on his own. Maybe there is something we can do to help." Serena said.

Kero, the Froakie, who sleeps most of the time, was actually awake this time, probably due to the seriousness of the situation. He spoke in a voice that was unusually calm and focused, like you wouldn't expect from the sleepy thing: "You're the professor, you can maybe pull some strings for some financial help."

"I wish I could…but I'm not getting much funding as of late. Because I haven't made any new discoveries or progress in a long time, they are giving me less and less money. I didn't want you to worry, but I also never expected this to happen…I tried so very hard to bring something of value…but I failed. Now I cannot even help one of my oldest friends." Sycamore said.

"It's like the whole universe is turning on Maurice all of a sudden. There has to be a way to make a lot of money quickly…Wait! I may have an idea, but I'm going to call in some favors. And probably our lazy days are going to be over, Kero." Serena said.

"There was a storm coming…a storm I can't sleep through." Kero replied. Again, unexpected from someone like him.

Haruto caught up with Maurice, who has just taken a drink from the vending machine. "There just won't be enough drinks on the world." Haruto muttered. The Fennekin approached his trainer, who just sat down on the ground, as Haruto jumped in his lap. "The professor, Serena, they want to help, I want to help. We are not going to take this lying down, are we?"

"I want to be hopeful, but what good will hope do now? The professor loses his funding, even if he thinks I wouldn't have noticed, and I'm just a teen. I can impossibly get the money needed. There are so few options left. We may even take options we may never thought we'd ever do before. No nothing illegal. But still desperate." Maurice said glum.

"What do you have in mind?" Haruto asked worried.

"I have to become a Trainer. Being a successful trainer is as hard as breaking through in Pokéwood…but I want to take the risk, if it means raking up the money needed to pay the bills…to give my mom another chance at life. I feel ashamed that I'll have to ask Sycamore for a starter."

"What are you talking about, you got me? Who is going to be a better starter then moi?" Haruto asked a bit annoyed.

"I don't want to drag you down, it's my burtain; I take the risk, so you don't have to." Maurice said.

"I am not a pet, I have fought a few battles, I know I can handle. Grace is my family too and you and I am going to help you and her any way I can and no way you are going to talk me out of this." Haruto said determined.

Maurice sighed. "You are the only one as stubborn as me I guess. Fine then, we are going to do this together. No matter what it takes, it's worth the risk."

"There is no risk, we studied Pokémon with Sycamore for the last few years, we have experience with battling, our chances are pretty big." Haruto assured them. The Fennekin was always the more optimistic one of the two.

"Er…excuse me." A voice said from behind them. A man in a business suit and with a suitcase, brown hair and black eyes, who looked around his forties approached them. "Sorry to barge in, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I didn't mean to but…I think we can help each other." The man said. "But where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself. Raoul Azar. At your service."

"Maurice. Wataru Maurice. And what do you mean that we can help each other?" Maurice asked.

"Well, I'm part of a company that has just come out of the ground. It just happens that we specialize in medical care and we are devicing an experimental but potential new cure that may just be what your mother need. It's a therapy that can renew organs without having resort on donors. But it's still in development and…let's just say people don't take the project seriously for the moment." Raoul explained.

"Why? We can revive Pokémon from fossils nowadays." Maurice wondered.

"It's going to be taken less seriously when we talk about humans then we are about Pokémon. But the thing is…we need to build ourselves a rep. Like, we are a new company after all. So we need someone who makes us look good. So we thought best about sponsoring a trainer. A new trainer, with the whole fresh image thing. If that trainer is to come far, he gets known, a celebrity in fact, and any sponsors of the company get famous as a result as well…" Raoul said.

"So your company will be recognized, so you can get funds to complete the project and that in return can help my mom?" Maurice asked.

"You got it kid, you're smart. Now, the trouble is finding a trainer of whom we're sure that he'll go far enough and is determined to go all the way, maybe even be a Champion. But you, you have a real reason to fight, you'll do anything to help your mom. It also makes you more sympathetic towards the audience because of it. And for a company that promotes healthcare, we need that image, to show we all care." Raoul said, making some Shakespearian motions throughout his speech. "It'll be an 'everyone wins' situation."

"It sounds almost too good to be true. Is there a catch to it somehow?" Maurice wondered.

"There is a little one. Nothing major. Now, the board of directors agreed with my idea but to make sure that the trainer I choose to sponsor is ready to go all the way, he needs to prove himself by being able to be a trainer even with some small handicaps. They demand you only catch the first Pokémon in each new area, if you catch it or fail to catch it, you can't catchy any new ones in that area. There is a dupes clause so you can ignore if you have a Pokémon from the same evolutionary line. But it may work the other way as it enables you to bond better with the Pokémon you do get." Raoul said.

"That's it? Not a big problem if you ask me…I'd be foolish to not do it." Maurice said.

"You'd be foolish to rush in. This guy comes out of nowhere and suddenly has the solution, it seems all too much of a coincidence." Haruto said worried.

"It's believable you'd be surprised something like this would turn up, but there is such a thing as destiny." Raoul said, again using Shakespearian gestures. "But the choice is up to you, young one. I can't force you after all. But if I make my calculations correctly, if you are to be a successful trainer without the sponsorship to back you up, it would take you about…a year or so to get the money necessary for the heart transport and transplant. And there is a chance or you mom rejecting the heart. Just some advice…to minimalize any risk." Raoul added.

Maurice looked like a nervous wreck. It seemed such a good idea, but something nagged in the back of his mind. But he couldn't find where the catch in this would be. It was his mother…holding on for her life…will it be worth the risk. Of course she was. "I do it." He said. Haruto still had the bad feeling, but trusted his big bro's judgment and said nothing.

"Excellent. First there is a little contract to be signed, then everything can be arranged accordingly." Raoul said as he pulled out a contract and handed it to Maurice.

Maurice studied the contract, but saw no holes in it. Aside the company wouldn't be held responsible for what happens to the Trainer's Pokémon but that seemed logical since he was the Trainer to be. He then signed the contract and handed it back. "Here. You got yourself a Trainer."

"Excellent! Both are problems are going to be solved very soon. Oh, almost forgot, my card. In case you have a question." Raoul said as he handed a card to Maurice. It read 'Raoul Azar, Reaper Industries'.

"Why call a company Reaper?" Maurice asked curiously.

"Here it's meant to represent the original meaning of 'Harvester', since we harvest the best of ideas to produce." Raoul explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Maurice noted.

"Oh, and one more thing. It's best you don't mention our involvement for a while, not even to your friends. Not until you have gained something of a status. Your rep has to build a bit first before we can be taken seriously. Just a marketing strategy, anything that can help our project grow." Raoul said.

"I'm not sure about that, but I'm no businessman. So I'll go along for now." Maurice said.

"Good. We'll be hearing from each other again, Mr. Wataru. Now, if you excuse me, I got a lunch meeting. Until then." Raoul said as he left the scene.

"You heard him. We really have to build ourselves a rep, they provide the cure…all will be okay!" Maurice said, overjoyed.

"I still am not fully convinced. Odd enough since I'm the hopeful one. But we'll go through until the end. Grace shall live if we got something to say about it." Haruto said.

"Hey, Maurice!" the voice of Serena said as Maurice quickly put away Raoul's calling card. She was followed by Professor Sycamore. "Maurice, I think I found a way to help you. It's maybe a dumb idea, but it may help you out greatly." Serena said.

"What is it?" Maurice asked curiously.

"I am going to become a trainer. And I'll save up the money I earn to help you pay your hospital bills. And I don't demand to be paid back later for it. For extra credit I asked Shauna and Quincy if they could in their own way contribute. So now you got two trainers and an artist funding you." Serena proclaimed happily.

"You had the same plan I had." Maurice said. Serena looked confused at that statement. "I wanted to tell you, I was planning to become a trainer to earn money as well." Maurice said. "But you don't have to risk anything, I got everything covered. It's my burtain."

"Grace has been very kind to me, like a second mother, I want to help, and I'm not taking any of your stubbornness. You can't do this by yourself. Just except a hand that is reached out for help when it's offered." Serena said.

"We both are pretty stubborn are we…" Maurice noted. He had promised Raoul not to mention his involvement. Though with Reaper Industries' help he could make the money on his own, it is always good to have a backup plan. "Do what you think is right. Guess every bit counts." Maurice said.

"This is so wonderful, to see these young people tackle a world of risk to save the ones they love. It's so poetic. I'll prepare upgrades for your License, from Aides to full-fledged-Trainers." Sycamore declared proudly.

"So are you going to be trainer for sake of being a trainer, or are we going to collect badges?" Serena asked.

"Gym Leaders give bigger amounts of price money, so yeah, we'll be going. There is a gym here in Lumiose, right? So we can train up a bit and get our first challenge quite early…" Maurice noted.

"That would be difficult, there is a problem with the power grid in the Western part of the city. Clement is also the main electric engineer, so his expertise is required to solve it. You have to start elsewhere first. How about Santalune City? Closest by." Sycamore explained.

"Fine then. That's where we are going to start. Haruto, you'll need to level up a bit more. And we are going to get ourselves a few teammates first. But after that…those Leaders better watch their wallets." Maurice said.

"And I'll be right behind you. With your stubborn head you may need someone to get your mind out of the gutter." Serena said in good humor.

"If you can keep up." Maurice replied, also in good humor. "We'll probably have a few sparring matches along the way like old times, just to keep each other on our toes." Maurice said. He reached out his hand, and Serena shook it. It would be the start of a friendly rivalry along the way.

However, no one had noticed that briefly, the mark of an 'Y' had appeared on Maurice's hand, glowing slightly red before it faded away just as quickly.

XXX

Part two is posted. No battles this time, just setting up events for the real Locke and from next chapter onwards, the real journey shall begin. Many can already guess how things may turn out. I also tried to leave as little holes in the plot as I can to have a good reason to have a nuzlocke.

I just hope you all enjoy. Stay tuned for chapter three, where Maurice gets his first teammates and badge.


	3. Journey begins

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER THREE: JOURNEY'S BEGINNING

A few days later, Maurice has spent the whole time readying himself for the new journey. He had received the same kind of Pokédex that the professor had given to Shauna. He packed a few Pokéballs and Potions he had bought in Aquacorde, and would be leaving for the first gym in Santalune. "This is it, little buddy. It begins here…and it won't end until my mom is out of the hospital." He said determined.

"And I'll be right by your side." Haruto noted.

"You know, if we are going to do this, this may mean you may inevitably evolve at one points. Have you ever wondered what that may mean to you in the future?" Haruto ask.

"I was comfy being a household pet for years…but things change, and we have to accept what will come with that change. For me it'll result in getting bigger, and able to stand up and have opposable thumbs; not a bad change if you ask me." Haruto added.

"Always the positive one, are you? Well, I need your positivity more than ever for this one." Maurice said as he went downstairs. Ready to leave. Icy was waiting for him there, Witherwing the Fletchling and Rocksteady the Rhyhorn by her side.

"So you're really going, huh? I made you some lunch and gotten you some cash, for essentials like food and medicine. Best to be prepared for everything…" Icy said, in an attempt to make small talk. "I know you're old enough and smart enough to be a good trainer but it's…I've watched after you since you were a boy whenever your mom was away and…it's weird for a Pokémon to say, but you are kind of like a son to me and…I feel a certain kind of pride and worry for all this." The Jynx continued.

Maurice understood. He brought up a soft smile. "You were kind of always my second mother. So you must know that I care a lot as well. And no matter how thing will turn out…I have family to turn to." Maurice said. Icy got a bit emotional as she pulled her surrogate son in a hug. "Icy…cold!" Maurice said.

"Oops…ice type…sorry!" Icy said embarrassed.

"Listen kid, I'm not good with mushy stuff and so I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's going to be tough Muk out there. You will win, you will lose. Just don't lose the spark kid." Witherwing added.

Rocksteady just moved closer and nuzzled Maurice. "Thanks Wing, for your…advice. And I'll miss you too, big lug." Maurice said petting the huge Rhyhorn.

"Nothing to worry, I got his back the whole way." Haruto assured them.

"I promise, it'll be all right." Maurice said before the took a deep breath and walked out the door, and headed for the direction of Santalune.

We cut to a peaceful path near the edge of a forest, with lots of green and nature. A single bird Pokémon, a Pidgey flew down near a berry bush and started picking at one of the tasty looking berries. As it was enjoying a meal, it was suddenly struck and knocked from the bush by a yellow blur, which turned out to be Haruto. The Pidgey recomposed itself and chirped angrily at the Fennekin, and charged at him. Haruto dodged and turned around, firing a few embers at the Pidgey, knocking it out of the air, as it hit the ground it bounced up a bit, then was hit by a Pokéball and pulled inside. The Pokéball flew back in Maurice's hand and with a click, it was caught.

"This feels good…catching our first Pokémon." Maurice said as he looked at the Pokéball in which the bird Pokémon was now stored. He grabbed a potion and opened it up.

The Pidgey looked dazed and stumbled as it got out, then felt a cold tingling sensation as it was sprayed with a healing potion and felt revitalized. He then eyes the trainer that caught him. "You know, you could until I had finished lunch before you decided to attack me!" it said, helped by the translator in Maurice's Pokédex.

"Sorry…I got kind of excited. You are my first catch ever after all." Maurice noted.

"Oh, a Trainer? I haven't seen one in person, but I heard from some Pidove friends that had been to the city. There aren't many of you anymore, right? It's interesting to finally meet one. Say, you are going to travel around a lot, are you?" the Pidgey asked.

"Er…yeah, that's kind of part of the gig. It's not like the Pokémon and trainers are going to knock at my door." Maurice replied.

"I always wanted to travel, but due to my low level I could not go out there, or I may have ended up as a snack for bigger badder Pokémon. But with a trainer I may have the backup I need. Not to mention the many things I could learn, to see different environments, see art, finding glory…I'm sorry, I'm babbling. I am (makes weird chirping sounds) at your service."

"I don't think human tongue can pronounce that. Can I call you…Raum?" Maurice asked.

"Oh…I like that name. Sounds dark and mysterious. Also a bit exotic. Now, if you don't mind I stuff myself with berries for a bit before we leave, I didn't finish lunch after all." Raum said.

After that, Raum was perched on Maurice's shoulder for the rest of the trip as they moved from the grasslands inside the forest. Raum was actually a very intellectual Pidgey but was being held back by his low level to go out and learn things. "…and that Pidove friend of mine told me about 'movie theaters'. They project everything bigger on a screen. I wonder how they do that?" Raum asked.

"I can try to explain but I'm no expert. I'll take you to Lumiose Movie Theater when I have the chance to let you see for yourself." Maurice assured. "Okay, this forest is a new area…so we get a chance at another catch."

"Hey you!" Maurice was halted by a young kid, younger then Shauna, with shorts and a backwards cap. "You look weak, let's battle, one on one." The kid blurted. "Oh, and one more thing…I LIKE SHORTS!"

"One: I hate you already. Second: You are going to regret opening your big mouth and calling me weak. Third: Why the shorts thing? It's totally random, it's not funny, it's stupid." Maurice said.

"Shorts are Arceus!" the kid said as he tossed out a Pokéball and out came a Caterpie.

"Great, my first non-practice battle and it's against a kid that was clearly dropped on his head at one point." Maurice groaned. "Raum, you ready for your first battle with me."

"I am ready to take the first step in unlocking my potential." Raum said as he flew of Maurice's shoulder.

"Good, Tackle him!" Maurice ordered. Raum shot forward and rammed into the Caterpie, knocking it back.

"Don't stand there, you little worm. Tackle back." The Youngster bit at the bug Pokémon. The Caterpie got up, readied himself, thrusted forward, but Raum was high in the air, where he couldn't reach it.

"Just end it, Raum." Maurice said, sounding bored, as Raum charged into the Caterpie and knocked it in a tree, out cold. "That was easy."

"You pathetic little worm, can't you even win ONE single battle?" The youngster shouted at the Caterpie. The little worm cried as it tried to nuzzle to the ankle of his trainer but was kicked off. "I have no need for a weak Pokémon like you. I'm tired of being your trainer." The Youngster then shattered the Pokéball of the Caterpie on a nearby rock.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a Pokémon. Whether it wins battles or not, it's a living being with feelings." Maurice scolded the youngster.

"They are just dumb animals, they don't 'know' anything, they don't have feelings." The Youngster said.

"Do I sound dumb to you, ruffian?" Raum asked. The youngster screamed like a little girl, not expecting the Pidgey to talk. "Translation device, fairly new apparatus. But it helped show the world we are not just mindless animals but have our own language, feelings and thoughts."

Haruto, out of pity, had crawled at the Caterpie and patted him on the back to comfort him. "You are a sick kid!" Haruto growled.

"I beat you, you are going to pay up according to the rule of Trainer combat and then you are going to apologize for your stupid behavior." Maurice threatened the Youngster.

"Take the money but I'm not apologizing to a worm." The youngster said as he tossed the money at Maurice.

"Haruto, fry his shorts of his ass." Maurice noted. Haruto had a sly grin on his his face as he shot embers from his mouth at the youngster, who ran off like his tail was on fire…which it was since Maurice hit him in the butt and shorts caught fire.

"That felt good!" Haruto noted.

Maurice turned to the little Caterpie. "No need to be afraid, the bad boy is gone little fella." He pulled out some berries and gave them to the Caterpie. "The kid was a jerk. I don't think you are weak, you just have potential you haven't tapped into yet."

"Y-y-you really think so?" the Caterpie asked.

"I am certain. If you want I can help you with unlocking that potential. I promise I will be a much better trainer then…whatever his name was." Maurice said.

"You seem different enough from that other guy…I want to try being with another trainer again." The Caterpie said.

Maurice then took out a Pokéball as the Caterpie allows itself to be captured, and then Maurice pulled him out of his Pokéball again. "Welcome to the club…Uva."

"Uva? I am being named? The other guy didn't name me…" Caterpie said.

"Of course you are silly, we are part of a team, a team of individuals with their own strengths and uses. You are part of it now." Raum said as he flew at the Caterpie and gently put his wing around him.

"B-b-but I'm not sure if I have any strengths. Right now I can only charge and spin threads. I don't know how I'd be useful in any regard…" Uva said. Maurice put a finger in his chin and started pondering.

A wild Panpour was swinging Tarzan-style on some vines through the forest, happily whistling. Until he got stuck in some sort of web. The Panpour saw several other Pokémon stuck in the web-like substance.

"You see, because of your String Shot they are stuck, which allows Raum and Haruto to finish them off. Due to your contribution you share the experience with them and it'll allow you to grow with minimal effort until you are able to become a Butterfree. After that you are strong enough to engage into more direct combat." Maurice explained as he pointed at the trapped Pokémon, who were being scratched by Haruto and tackled by Raum.

"Whoa, you are really smart. The other guy just ordered me to charge into everything Leroy Jenkins style." Uva noted.

"That's because I have more than half a brain." Maurice joked. Uva chuckled. "Now, let's put up a few more String Shots around the forest…"

Later that day, near the exit of the forest, Maurice came out, standing proudly…picking leaves and webs from his hair. Haruto walking next to him and Raum on his shoulder, and a Butterfree flying above him. "I can't believe I'm a Butterfree…I never thought I'd be old enough to see the day. I'd thought I'd be eaten by a bird before that would happen…No offense Raum."

"None taken. I prefer berries anyways." Raum joked.

"I am ready to go into real fight. I really want to try out my new Confusion attack." Uva said excited.

"Ok…then let's see what we can challenge. Hey, an Azurill…" Maurice said.

"No worries, I got it!" Uva said as he rushed at it.

"Uva, wait, I want to…" Maurice said, as Uva blasted the Azurill with psychic energy from his eyes and sent the thing blasting off Team Rocket style. "…catch it!" Maurice said as he facepalmed.

"Whoops, I'm sorry…I got carried away. No worries, we'll find another Pokémon on this route somewhere, it can't be the only one after all…" Uva said.

"I can only catch one Pokémon per route, remember? But it doesn't matter. I got two flying types and a fire type. The gym uses Bug Types. I'm sure I can manage this just fine." Maurice said. "Santalune is just up ahead, and so is the first Gym."

They had made it to Santalune fairly quickly. After healing up they headed for the gym immediately. Once entering the gym, a receptionist stood at his desk. Normally there was a waiting room where one would wait for a bit until the previous challenger was done. However, the waiting room was for obvious reasons very empty.

"We didn't have much challengers in a while due to the trainer shortage. I'm surprised we're getting two on a day now." The clerk said.

"Two?" Maurice asked.

"Yeah, a little girl, brown hair, very energetic, had a Chespin went in a few minutes ago. You can see on the screen there how she does." The clerk said.

Maurice looked at the screen and indeed, his suspicion was confirmed when he saw Shauna fighting off the gym leader. Maurice looked on as Shauna's Skitty went up against a Surskit. "Fluffly, Tackle!"

"Quick Attack!" Viola said as her Surskit rushed at Fluffy, outspeeding it and knocking it to the ground. Surskit moved in for a second attack.

"Grab and Tackle!" Shauna said. It appears she had learned from her fight against Maurice cause as soon as the Surskit's attack hit, Skitty swiftly grabbed the Surskit with her tail then used the momentum to hit it with a strong Tackle from short range, and knocked it out. "Yay! You did it Fluffy!" Shauna cheered.

"Whoa…that ditzy kid isn't too bad at her first gym challenge." Haruto noted.

"She seems…different when she is battling. Intriguing." Maurice noted. Maurice couldn't help but wonder where that burst of confidence has come from…

"Skitter, return. Go, Vivi!" Viola then summoned a Vivillon in combat. "Infestation!" Fluffy was weakened by the Surskit's attacks so it wasn't fast enough to dodge a swarm of black tiny specks the Vivillon spat out and started to swarm around the kitten. "Now Tackle!" After its strength was sapped by Infestation, Tackle was enough to knock it out.

"Fluffy! Oh, I should have recalled you when I had the chance…I'm sorry!" Shauna said as she picked up Fluffy. Fluffy wasn't mad as she licked her trainer. "You rest up now, Chester will do the rest." Shauna recalled Fluffy and sent out her Chespin.

"Ore…sanjou!" The Chespin said as he left his Pokéball and made an intro pose. "Ready whenever you are, sweet cheeks." Chester seemed to not have trouble following Shauna's orders. Perhaps her personality change during combat had something to do with it.

"Chester! Rollout!" Shauna ordered. The Chespin curled up in a ball and rolled at the Vivillon. It made a hop, but Vivillon just flew to higher ground to avoid it. Chester fell back to the ground, bounced a bit in his ball form before landing back on his feet.

"Get down here and fight as a mon, you overgrown moth!" Chester growled. Chester was met with a powerful Tackle and was knocked on the ground. "Hey doll-face. We need a plan and fast!" Chester shouted at his trainer.

"Lemme think…I counted on Rollout for this." Shauna said, the image of Chester's rollout in her mind…and the little bounce he made earlier. "I have an idea, use Rollout again." Shauna said.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Chester said as he curled up and rolled out again. As expected, at first the Vivillon flew out of range. But this time… "Now Bounce of the walls!" Shauna said as this time, the curled up Chester bounced off the wall, right into the Vivillon, then bounced off another wall and kept bouncing in the butterfly Pokémon. For the final attack he bounced of the wall, right above the Vivillon crashed into it from above and sent it flinging into the ground. Chester landed on the ground proudly. Shauna squealed in glee as she rushed at Chester and hugged him tightly. "Yeah, I'm happy too, but let's cut the mushy stuff to a minimum in public?" Chester asked embarrassed.

"Well, you did a great job out there. You deserve this Badge. It didn't matter if I had won or not, I was just glad to have a bit of excitement in my life." Viola said as she handed the badge to Shauna.

"Oh my gosh this is so awesome that I have my first badge and I won all because of my darling Chester and Fluffy and oh, you know I found Fluffy on route 22 when she was around some catnip? She is a cat Pokémon so it makes sense she seeks out catnip but she was so cute rolling through it and I just had to catch her but I wanted her to be cute and strong and…am I blabbing again?" Shauna ranted.

"Er…" Viola said, not wanting to be impolite. "Can I take a picture of you and your team? I do so for all trainers who have beat me. It is a reminder of how I myself can still grow as a leader." It was something Shauna agreed to happily.

"Whoa, that girl is quite skilled." Raum noted.

"When we fought her last time she wasn't nearly this good. You think she took your advice to heart, Maurice?" Haruto asked.

"I guess she did and more. Maybe she is one who can make it to the top anyways." Maurice said. Maurice had been focused on the screen during the entire fight.

Haruto got a sly smirk on his face. "Maybe she starts growing on you."

"It's not like that. I just admire her trainer skills." Maurice said annoyed.

"You really mean that?" Shauna had come up from behind them and had heard the last part of their conversation. She had a twinkle in her eyes.

"Sure. You showed creativity during that fight. Not many beat their first gym on their first try. You clearly have listened to me when I told you to not back down." Maurice replied.

"Of course I listened. Because I knew you were smart and know a lots about Pokémon and stuff which should be logical since you work at a lab and studied them and all so of course I'd listen and I had to listen carefully because we are doing this for a good cause and all…am I babbling again?" Shauna said.

"You're always babbling." Maurice noted. "You deserved your first badge. Cherish the moment, because Gym Leaders will keep using stronger Pokémon. So you have to become stronger as well. I'm sure you can manage." Maurice said to her.

"NEXT!" the Gym Clerk said.

"It's my turn now. I'll be seeing you later. Good luck in the future Shauna." Maurice said as he left. Shauna kept having that adoring look in her eyes as she saw Maurice ready to go face her challenge.

Viola was already waiting. "Already? Didn't expect one so short after another. Must be my lucky day. I could use a little excitement. Photographing bug Pokémon in their natural habitat is a fine hobby but I miss the adrenaline rush. So, what's your name and how many badges do you have?"

"Wataru Maurice. And I got no badges yet, this is my first gym challenge." Maurice said.

"Oh, I shouldn't have put Vivi and Skitter away so quickly…wait a sec." Viola said as she reached in a closet and pulled out several Net Balls from various others. Each leader has multiple Pokémon of different levels depending on which trainer they fight. "Rules are simple, I use three Pokémon, when they are out, you win."

"I can live with that…" Maurice noted.

"Then let's get started Lady, let's go!" Viola said as she brought out a Ladyba.

"Haruto, you are up." Maurice said. "This is it, no half-baked rookies, no sparring, no wilds, a real gym battle. You are ready for this?"

"I was hatched ready!" Haruto said as he walked forward to the battlefield, eying the ladybug Pokémon. "Just tell me when."

"Let's do this quickly, use Ember!" Maurice ordered. Haruto spat several tiny balls of fire at the Ladyba, who flew around to dodge a few but a third strike hit it dead on. It looked pained. "Let's finish it, Flame Charge!"

"I'm fired up!" Haruto said as he was engulfed in flames and charged at the Ladyba.

"Lady, Supersonic!" The Ladyba flapped its wings harder and created soundwaves that threw Haruto off balance, made his vision and hearing blurry and as a result missed the Ladyba and ran into a wall, hurting himself. "Now Tackle him!" the Ladyba, on Viola's orders tackled Haruto.

"Maurice…I can't see anymore, and my hearing is muffled…I can't lock in on the Ladyba anymore…In this state I'm more prone to hurting myself." Haruto said, staggering.

This was known as 'confusion', the Pokémon's senses are scrambled, attacks can sometimes hit, but have as much change of backfiring. "Try rely on your sense of smell, that isn't affected." Maurice realized.

Haruto sniffed the air, getting a whiff from the Ladyba's smell. He then aimed a few Embers in its direction, hitting it and knocking it out. "My head is still fuzzy, but I feel good for winning this round!"

"Very smart, not many find a way around the confusion." Viola said, recalling her Ladyba. "But now a change of pace, let's go Skitter!" Viola brought out her Surskit, the one she used earlier.

"Haruto, you go stand aside until the fuzziness wears off, let Raum take over. Raum, time to shine for you." Maurice said.

Raum flew off his shoulder, on to the battlefield. He eyed the Surskit. "Mind if I defeat you?" the Surskit raised an eyebrow. "I can't hear you." Raum said as he flapped his wings and flew up.

"Skitter, Bubble!" Viola said and the little strider Pokémon fired slightly sulfuric bubbles at Raum.

"Quick Attack!" Raum used his speed to charge through the bubbles unharmed and hit the Surskit dead on, sending it into the air. "Gust!" Raum flapped his wings, creating a strong wind that formed a small tornado that kept Surskit in the air, open for any attacks. "Once more, Quick Attack." Raum charged several more times into the Surskit, as it fell from the sky, knocked out.

"Return, Skitter. You are a tough cookie for a rookie. But it isn't over yet. Let's go, Vivi!" Viola sent out her last Pokémon, the Vivillon.

"Raum, you can rest. I think Uva deserves a chance to shine. You go, Uva!" Maurice said.

"M-m-me? You really mean it?" Maurice nodded at the nervous bug type. "I won't disappoint you! I'm going in!" Uva said as he flew up to the battlefield and faced his fellow butterfly Pokémon."

"Get him with Infestation." Viola said. The Vivillon spat out several black specks at Uva.

"Use Confusion!" Maurice told Uva. Uva's eyes flashed and the black specks were sent back at Vivillon, trapped his his own Infestation. Then Uva used Confusion to trap Vivillon in his mind hold and then toss it around.

"Vivi, Harden!" Viola said desperately. Vivi glowed a bit as it hardened and raised its defenses, but while the impacts hurt less, the psychic energy and the Infestation still did.

"Poisonpowder!" Maurice ordered. Uva pulled the Vivillon closer, so that the purple powder it could spread wouldn't miss, as it flapped its wings to release the toxic spores. The poison, Infestation and psychic energies did their job, and Vivillon fainted.

"Return Vivi." Viola said, returning her Pokémon. "That was a good battle. Best I've had in a long time. I really want to thank you for making my day. You deserve this Bug badge, the TM for Infestation and of course a nice monetary compensation for your efforts." Viola said as she pulled out a wad of Pokédollar bills, a disc-like item and another of the beetle-shaped badges.

Maurice took the objects, and eyed the badge. He couldn't help but feel a certain pride. "It's a very special feeling, getting your first badge. I feel like I want to shout out to the heavens: 'I got a Bug Badge'. But I won't because that would be stupid." Maurice noted. "What isn't stupid, but in fact really awesome is how you guys were out there. I couldn't have done it without you, guys." Maurice complimented his team.

"No, I should thank you, for letting me have a taste of what being under a good trainer is like, and how it feels to be strong." Uva said.

"I thank you for allowing to expand my horizons like this." Raum added.

"It was a rocky start at first but it felt great swatting some bugs." Haruto noted. "I still feel fuzzy though, shouldn't have it worn off? Oh, now I feel tingly." Haruto said as he started to glow. "Holy Mew, I'm evolving!" he noted. The others looked in awe as Haruto started to grow, stood on his hind legs, grew a furry 'skirt' of sorts…and became a Braixen.

"Whoa…Haruto…That was amazing. But…how do you feel now?" Maurice asked.

"That felt amazing; I feel stronger…I have hands now…I feel psychic energies in my brain ready to be mastered…I got hands now…I'm taller…and I got hands!" Haruto said.

"You really seem to like the hands." Maurice noted.

"Of course, it will make picking up things easier, it's not handy to pick up anything in your mouth, you know. I couldn't hold a game controller and ever tried picking cookies from the cookie jar with those stomps I had earlier? Not a good thing!" Haruto said.

"I guess in a way we all took a next step towards maturity." Maurice said as he eyed his badge. "This is how it starts and how it'll continue. And nothing will stop us." Maurice said.

From the shadows, two red eyes flashed as an otherworldly voice muttered to itself: "This kid seems strong. I wasn't mistaken…Now let's see how he responds when I test him personally."

TO BE CONTINUED

This is the first gym badge. New team members, and we also see some minor characters get some gym action.

I name all my Pokémon in this run after characters from the Kamen Rider franchise, minor or not. Haruto is named after Kamen Rider Wizard, Raum is named after a bird monster from Kamen Rider Wizard and Uva is named after the leader of the Bug Kaijin from Kamen Rider OOO.

I merged a bit of the gym trainer battles in Maurice's battle because Haruto evolved during one of those in-game. And though Raum sweeped the leader on his own, I felt it was fair to have every team member at least have one gym battle.

So, stay tuned next time. Hope you enjoyed it.


	4. First blood

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER FOUR: FIRST BLOOD

Route 4, it was a nice day, Maurice had felt certain pride getting his first badge. He had then set for route 4 to add someone new to the roster. He just had seen how the Pokéball had locked itself after it had sucked the Pokémon inside. He picked it up and let out the newest catch, a Flabébé. Unlike Quincy's who had a yellow flower, this one had a red flower. "Welcome to the team…I think I'll call you Kase! I'm Maurice and I'm your new trainer. And these are your teammates Haruto, Uva and Raum." Maurice noted.

"Hai! I'm at your service, Maurice-sama!" Kase said, happily smiling and bowing over her tiny head.

"It's good to have a girl on the team for once…especially one as fair as you." Raum said as he gave a polite bow to the Flabébé.

"Oh, Raum-san, you are so sweet." Kase said flattered.

"So, we should get to start training you, so you can keep up. We should get a weaker opponent first...must be around here somewhere." Maurice said. That's until they saw some familiar faces in the distance. "Hey, Serena! Quincy!" Maurice greeted.

Serena had been showing off her latest catch, a Pansage. Also, they saw her Kero, now evolved into Frogadier. Quincy had been busy making sketches of them. His Flabébé Hannah, sat on his shoulder, though she hid behind him most of the time. Hannah was very shy. "Hey, Maurice…Shauna told us about your win. Congratulations."

"Aside from that Ladyba's supersonic there was no trouble, I just had the type advantage. Shauna's was more impressive because she had no advantage." Maurice noted. "And before you two start, Haruto already teased me about that statement. I just admire her skills."

"Right…" Serena said sarcastically. "I am going to challenge Viola in a while as well. Kero and Chives have been training real hard. Kero is more focused since we started training, he hasn't fallen asleep during the day anymore." She pointed at Kero, who was still posing…but they heard a snore from him.

"Or he learned to sleep with his eyes open." Maurice chuckled. "I added a few team members. Meet Raum, Uva, and the newest catch, Kase." Maurice introduced. "Guys, meet Serena, she's like the little sister I never wanted but grew to care for anyway. And Quincy, artist to be, bad sense of direction."

"Pleased making your acquaintance. I seem to be running in quite a few fair maidens today." Raum said.

"Your Pidgey is a flatterer." Serena said. "So, what's next on your list?"

"Going to Lumiose to show my favorite spots to the newest members, then I'm going for the Gym in Cyllage City. But first I got to train Kase so she can catch up with the rest of the team." Maurice noted.

"I wish I could help, but my own Pokémon have become a bit too strong to be a sparring partner for her." Serena noted.

"Maybe I can help. I am no trainer but I have Pokémon. I mean, as a mapmaker I have to explore regions and sometimes defend myself or make quick getaways. Maybe you can have her spar with one of my weaker Pokémon." Quincy suggested.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Are you using Hannah for this one?" Maurice asked.

"No, Hannah is a lover, not a fighter. She's a companion. Besides, she doesn't do well with others." Quincy said as he picked her off his shoulders, but the skittish Flabébé flew back behind his head to hide herself. "She's too shy to properly be used for combat." Quincy added.

Kase flew up next to Hannah and spoke. "You don't have to be afraid, Hannah-chan, these people won't hurt you." But Kase flew off and hid in Quincy's pocket.

"It's no use, I can't get her to open up to anyone but myself. But I'll try teaching her social skills later. Are you still up for a little practice?" Quincy asked.

"Certainly. Kase, ready for your first battle?" Maurice asked.

"Ready as can be Maurice-sama!" she said happily. She floated over to in front of Maurice.

Quincy took a Net Ball and tossed it. "Go, Gingersnap." Quincy summoned forth a Corphish. "Okay Gingersnap, we are going to help my friend Maurice here with training his Pokémon so please take it easy for his sake, okay?" the Corphish nodded.

"Okay…let's start with a Vine Whip, Kase!" Maurice said. From Kase's flower two vines spouted and lashed at the Corphish. Kase's attack wasn't still what it is supposed to be so it didn't do that much damage. "That still needs work. Okay, Fairy wind then." Maurice added. Kase held out her flower in front of her like a weapon and pink sparkly wind came out and blew at the Corphish. Still not much damage.

"Use Bubble." Quincy ordered. The Corphish send out a few bubbles from his scissors at Kase, who deflected all the bubbles by spinning her flower in front herself rapidly. "I think this is working. Okay Gingersnap, now use a bubble again, gently."

Gingersnap saluted, to show he understood the order, but then he violently started twitching. "Gingersnap, you okay?" Gingersnap then started to convulse heavily, as he then started to grow in size, but he wasn't evolving. His eyes turned into black empty voids as he grew to double his size and he let out a gurgly roar as he pounded the ground with his scissors. He rushed at Kase and violently smacked her with his scissor. "No Gingersnap, gently!" Quincy said, panicking; Gingersnap turned around and fired several bubbles at his master, though with greater power than normal, and knocked him on the ground, unconscious. Gingersnap advanced on the downed Quincy and raised his claw.

"NO!" Hannah shouted as she revealed herself, and used Vine Whip to tie Gingersnap's claw up and drag him away from Quincy. Gingersnap raised his other claw, but that was tied up as well, this time with the Vine Whip from Kase. Both Flabébé's did their best to contain Gingersnap. "Gingersnap, snap out of it!" Hannah begged her teammate.

Gingersnap didn't reply, merely roared as with his new size and strength overpowered both the Flabébés. He swings his claws around, sending Hannah flying sideways into a hedge and Kase flinging upwards, who spins out of control, and falls back down, to be caught in Gingersnap's claw…and then a sickening cracking sound could be heard, as Kase was dropped on the ground, limp.

"Kase?" Maurice asked, shocked. She didn't move… "Guys, take no risks, take him out, fast!" Maurice ordered. Maurice felt something burn on the back of his right hand…the Y mark reappearing and glowing, but Maurice was too distracted to notice.

"Kero, Chives, help him out!" Serena said.

All the Pokémon advanced on Gingersnap. Raum and Uva charged into him, sending him staggering back, after which Haruto and Kero barrage him with Embers and Bubbles, as Uva adds his psychic energy from Confusion to it. Hannah and Chives lash at him several times with Vine Whip. "This is for Kase!" Raum said with a final roar as he took to the air, glowed bright white, then rushed down…as he got close to Gingersnap, the glow died down and he was now a Pidgeotto, and he lashed with a powerful Wing Attack and that finally took Gingersnap down.

Gingersnap was knocked unconscious, as he shrank back to his original size and strength as a wisp of black smoke flew out of him, the wisp made an eerie sound and vanished. At that moment, Quincy recovered and woke up. "Oh, my head. What happened?" Quincy then saw Maurice, standing over the limp body of Kase. "Maurice?"

"She…she's dead." Maurice said. Kase's limbs were spread out at odd angles, her eyes were lifeless and dull and the flower she was bonded too was crushed, the petals scattered around her.

"Dead? But that can't be! I mean, Pokémon don't kill each other in battle. Sure, they have killed other Pokémon solely for food or out of self-defense…But Pokémon never willingly kill just to kill." Serena said.

"That black thing that came out of my Corphish…You think that was some kind of Pokémon?" Quincy asked.

"Not even a Ghost Type can outrightl possess other living beings. Rotom can only possess electronics. And Ghost types are also unrightfully portrayed as murderous and kidnappers, while Ghost types aren't any more dangerous than any other type. Professors all over the world are busy rewriting the Pokédex to undo the wrongfully accusing dex entries…" Serena replied.

At the same time, Gingersnap awoke. The Corphish shook his head, like he had a headache of sorts. He then noticed a shocked Maurice standing over Kase's body, then looked at one of his claws, seeing it was still covered in blood. Gingersnap gasped in shock as he saw the stains on his own claws and started to shiver…and broke out into tears. He fell onto his side and curled up, closest thing he could achieve of a fetal position with his physiology. "Ginger, it wasn't your fault, it was that black smoke thing…" Quincy said, reaching out his hand towards his Corphish, but the Corphish turned away, not wanting to be touched by his master.

Maurice had been silent up until this point, but finally spoke: "I didn't know her for very long, but I felt she could have been a great part of the team. I owe it to her that I at least give her a proper burial." Maurice said. Serena and Quincy helped him make a small grave in between a few flower patches. Maurice had picked one of the flowers, that looked like the one Kase was bonded to, and put it in between the pages of a book he carried with him, as a memento.

"I'm going to bring Gingersnap to a doctor, or a psychologist, or both…He needs to recover from this as well…but you must believe me that Gingersnap never before has…" Quincy tried to tell.

"I don't blame you or your Corphish. I saw the dark aura, I saw that wisp. I'm going to keep focusing on getting the money for Mom's cure. But I will find out what it was and why it made Gingersnap so…psychotic. I'm going back to Lumiose to talk to Sycamore, he may have a clue." Maurice said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Are you sure you are going to be all right?" Serena asked.

"I'll be fine. You go and challenge Viola, just do what you can, I'll get to the bottom of it. Whatever happened here, it probably was a rare occurrence, but an unfortunate one." Maurice said. "But I won't let it get me down. If I stop now, my mother may end up under the ground as well. I have to keep strong…I suggest you do the same. Good luck, you two." Maurice said as he gestured his Pokémon to follow him. "Let's go guys."

A few hours later Maurice had ended up back in Lumiose. It was strange to be there as a trainer instead of someone going to work there. A part of the city was still affected by a blackout, but the more important buildings like the lab, hospitals, Pokécenters and restaurants still had power.

Maurice looked up at a huge screen that was on top of a building. The face of a man appeared on it. He had a white t-shirt with red polka-dots, sunglasses, a hat he wore backwards and long messy brown hair that reached to his shoulders. "Hello Kalos, this is DJ Malik and boy, you probably haven't heard me in a while. As you know I am the one who recaps epic trainer battles that happen all around the region and with the Trainer shortage, man was I almost out of a job. But recently, in a very rare occurrence Gym Leader Viola said she had three challengers in the span of a few days and each of them defeated her soundly." The DJ said.

On the screen appeared footage of both Maurice and Shauna's battles, and in a few scenes he recognized Kero and Chives, Serena's Frogadier and Pansage, fighting off bug types. "Maybe compared to what I've covered in the past it's not a big deal, but could this actually mean there is going to be a trainer revival? Is it going to be a trend again and more trainers who aren't easily demotivated will appear? Only the future will tell, but this guy remains hopeful, because he loves to cover. DJ Malik out, and now a word from our boss!"

The icon that had been on the big screen, in the right corner, the logo of the TV Channel enlarged and took on the screen, reading 'Lysander TV', and a man in a fancy business suit, red hair and a spiky beard appeared. Everyone in Kalos knew who he was. It was the philanthropist Lysander, who owed most of the humanitarian companies in Kalos, but also had the most popular tv channel.

"People of Kalos, you all know me by now. I am Lysander and I have been attempting to create a better and more beautiful world for the people and the Pokémon. My companies have been making progress on healthcare and new technology and I also made this fun little channel to bring joy to the crowds and deliver messages on what people may do to make the world a better place. I am celebrating the twentieth anniversary of my company soon, and I want to thank you, the people for making it possible, for putting faith in me, and for wanting to effectively try to make a better world.

Unfortunately a perfect world can't exist, and there have been moments of violence, of darkness, of crime. And while we have tried to do our best, there are several small stains on an otherwise clean and wonderful place. That's why we have to put our heads together and keep thinking on what the future may bring, or what we may bring to the future. We, the people, are the only ones who can change it. So I'll say it again: People, keep our world beautiful!" Lysander finished his speech.

A new announcement came on the screen: "And now the news…by Malva."

Maurice didn't stick around for the news as he and his Pokémon went out to find Sycamore. "That guy certainly has a way with words." Haruto noted. "No wonder he's so popular."

"His words are inspiring but they words alone cannot lift spirits." Maurice noted. He and his team have reached the lab by now. "I need results."

Sycamore was busy with a set of Pokéballs as Maurice arrived back in the lab. He cheerfully greeted him. "Maurice, I've heard about your endeavors, you won your first badge. I knew you were a natural talent when it came to Pokémon. I see you have an impressive collection so far."

"Doc, I am going to be blunt and ask you to help me with something. One of my Pokémon died!" Maurice said bluntly.

That effectively killed the mood, and Sycamore's smile faded really fast. "Died? How? Was it sick?" Sycamore asked.

"No. The Pokémon it fought was overtaken by a shadowy wisp, making it stronger and tore down its inhibitions, and it killed my Flabébé. I know during our studies we have seen Pokémon don't kill unless for food or self-defense, but this is something different. I want to know how it could happen!" Maurice replied.

"It normally can't happen…The only time where Pokémon have killed humans is during the war centuries ago. But no one knew what caused the Pokémon to willingly throw out their inhibitions. It's a mystery that has been unsolved for eons." Sycamore noted.

"Well, I'm determined to solve it. But history isn't my strongest subject. Where I can update my history?" Maurice asked.

"Well, the Perfume Palace is a good place, it's the last settlement that is still intact from that time period. It also happens to host a party I am invited too. I was going to ask if you'd come along, to show off my most prized pupil." Sycamore asked. "During the party, a well-known historian is going to be present, if anyone will know it's him."

"So I have to wear a monkey suit and blend in? Fine…anything to help me find this out. When is the party?" Maurice asked.

"Just in a few days, and best is the Perfume Palace is somewhere around the route that leads you to Cyllage. So it's not a big detour." Sycamore noted. "Oh…and there is also one thing I'd like to ask you, Maurice." Sycamore asked.

"And what's that? If it is to slowdance with one of your old friends to cheer her up, I won't do it." Maurice asked.

"No, not that. You see, my friend, Professor Oak has sent me several of his starters. Like here, Kanto isn't bringing any new trainers and the starters are left behind. Now, these Pokémon are connected, in their evolved forms to a progress called Mega Evolution. It's a concept where a lot has to be discovered about yet. Since I'm no trainer, I want to ask you if you like to take one of them along for your journey." Sycamore asked. "It may not replace your Flabébé, but you get a companion and…we could use the data about Mega Evolution to get another grant for the lab."

"I guess I can do that. I don't mind adding to our team." Maurice noted. He looked down on one of the Pokéballs and looked at the flame, leaf and water symbols. He already knew what they were, since they came from Kanto. He picked the Pokéball with the leaf symbol and let the Pokémon out.

A Bulbasaur came out, and looked around him surprised. "Dinner already?" he asked and then saw Maurice. "A trainer? Picking me? I never expected anyone to pick me. People always go for a Squirtle or Charmander, but almost never my kind." The Bulbasaur replied.

"I'm not most people." Maurice noted. "I'm Maurice, and I am here to give you a new home."

"I'd like to tag along…not many opportunities for Bulbasaurs like this come along. But if you don't mind, I like to ask one thing of you. I want to test your strength. Fight me!" the Bulbasaur said.

"I can do that. Professor, you better move the breakables out of the way." Maurice said, complying with the Bulbasaur's request. "Uva, you are taking this one." Maurice said.

"Oh boy!" Uva said excited as he flew forward.

"I'm warning you, I won't hold back!" the Bulbasaur said as he shot out a couple of Vine Whips, but Uva immediately dodged them.

"Uva, Stun Spore!" Maurice ordered as Uva spread an orange powder on the Bulbasaur, but he was unaffected.

"Didn't you get the latest news? I'm of a new breed of Bulbasaur. Like many new breeds of existing Grass Types, powder moves can no longer affect me!" the Bulbasaur said as he then launched two more Vine Whips, grabbed Uva and then pulled him towards himself and tackled him up close.

"I heard about them but didn't take into account I would be facing one real soon…Okay, no playing around, Uva. Confusion." Maurice said, and Uva's eyes glowed, a Confusion shooting out and hitting the Bulbasaur. "One more time!" Another blast and the Bulbasaur was down on the ground.

"You win…" the Bulbasaur said smiling. "I can be happy knowing I'll be in good hands. I found a strong trainer who can help show the world that us Bulbasaurs are not the inferior starters." He said.

"Then welcome to the team…Takatora." Maurice said, ducking down, and reaching his hand in friendship, which the newly renamed Takatora agreed to.

"You really are wonderful as a person and a trainer, Maurice." Sycamore said with a smile. He then pulled out a box and a golden ticket. "In this box are the Mega Stone, a Venusaurite to be exact. And this is the ticket to the party at Perfume Palace. It says you can also take a date along if you like. Any girl you have set your sights on?"

"Not at the moment, I don't think that relationships mix with my current occupation of saving my Mom's life and unlocking the mystery of the black wisp." Maurice pointed out.

"What is he talking about?" Takatora asked his new teammates.

"We'll bring you up to speed later. Short version, Maurice's life has been anything but easy lately." Haruto assured him.

"It has a dress code too I see." Maurice said as he checked out the invitation. "I think I'll have to rent one of those monkey suits for the party…I guess it can't be helped." Maurice noted as he put the new gifts away. "Ask Serena or Shauna if they can give the other two Pokémon a home on their team. I'm pretty sure you won't be getting any new trainers anytime soon." Maurice noted.

"Be certain I will. Oh, before I forget, you need a keystone to make the Mega Stone work. I don't receive one with the starters, but someone by the name of Gurkin can provide you with that. He runs the Tower of Mastery in Shalour City, it's the city where you can get your third badge. By then I'm sure Takatora will have reached his final stage." Sycamore adviced Maurice.

"I'll keep that in mind; But first…I promised the new guys I'd show them around Lumiose. Movie theater, fine dining and stuff like that. Nice seeing you again, professor. See you at the party." Maurice said as he left the lab.

Sycamore's smile faded once Maurice had left. "Please be ok, Maurice…"

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Invitation

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER FIVE: INVITATIONS

"I look freakin' ridiculous." Maurice said with a frown on his face. He was forced to fit a tuxedo for the upcoming party at the perfume palace. Maurice didn't like to wear 'monkey suits'.

"No…you look dapper…" Haruto said as he tried to hold back his laughter. "Ok, you look ridiculous!" Haruto then busted out into laughter. The others tried to hold back their laughter as well.

"Don't get cocky, you guys also need to look fancy…maybe a nice hat or a collar with a bow tie." Maurice reminded them. They shut up after that. "I only put up with this because I want some answers."

"Luckily no one we know can see you like that." Uva said. At that moment they saw Serena and Shauna enter the shop. "I don't think I should have said that."

Shauna and Serena both first stared at the tuxedo-clad Maurice. Their expressions didn't change a bit until Serena busted out in laughter and started rolling on the floor. "I'm sorry but…you and tuxedo's…bwahahahaha!" Serena said.

Shauna instead saw different vision. She thought Maurice looked great in a suit. Through her 'Shauna-vision' which had pink and sparkles, the frowning Maurice looked really handsome. She had a huge grin on her face. But she remained silent. "That's the first time I've seen her this quiet." Maurice muttered.

"What's the occasion for that tuxedo?" Shauna asked, her happy smile briefly fading. "You are not going on a date, are you?"

"No…I'm just going to a fancy party with the prof, he is introducing me to someone who has a few answers for me. Too bad they have a dress code. I don't really like this kind of outfit. At least it's a fit, I'll take it, and now I'm going to change back into something more comfy." Maurice said as he headed back to the dressing room.

Chester, Shauna's former Chespin, now Quilladin approached Takatora, eyeing the Bulbasaur. "So, you're the new guy, the starter from Kanto? I don't see what's so special about you. When I evolve I become an armored spiked juggernaut, and you…You're a dino…bulldug…thingy with an onion on his back."

"One, I'm part poison, I have a type advantage over you. Second, I'm able to turn my neck, unlike you are in your current form, and third: If you want a fight, I can give it." Takatora growled back.

"Go ahead, what you gonna do? Spray powder on me? Oh wait, you can't! Newest breed of grass type, immune to powders baby!" Chester mocked.

Takatora glowed bright white as he suddenly evolved into an Ivysaur in a burst of rage. He then aimed the light purple flower on his back at Chester and sprayed him with a powerful Venoshock, knocking him out. "Not all toxins are in powder form." Takatora said with a victorious smug grin.

"Oh Chester, why do you get yourself in trouble like this?" Shauna said as she picked up her Pokémon. "He can be so headstrong at times."

"I think that chestnut shell of him cuts off the air supply to his brains." Takatora noted.

Maurice got out of the dressing room, back in his normal outfit. "The suit will have to do, I'll go and pay for it. Say, there's something different about you Takatora, you did something with your hair?"

"Real funny. No I evolved to teach that rude Quilladin a lesson. Don't I look awesome?" Takatora said.

Chester managed to regain consciousness and get a quip in: "As awesome as a lizard dog with a pink flower on his back can be."

"Get back here and repeat that again, you nutty rat!" Takatora said as the other Pokémon held him back, preventing him from entering another brawl.

Maurice got out of the dressing room, back in his normal outfit. "Just cut it out. We got better things to do. I'm going to pay for this suit and then we check out something for you to wear…" Maurice said, forcing Takatora to back down.

"Hey Maurice, thanks for suggesting the professor to give us the other Kanto starters. My new Squirtle is just adorable. I think I'll name him Sheldon. I like water types and that's a good thing because there is water everywhere so there are lots of water types and you always will need a water type and…" Shauna said as she then stopped and then looked like she was holding back on barf. "I'll be quiet."

"She seems to be learning a bit of restraint." Haruto pointed out.

"I guess you took the Charmander then, Serena?" Maurice asked.

"Indeed. I call her Cinder." Serena said as she took out a Pokéball with a flame symbol on it, showing it off.

"Take good care of them. Now, I still have a lot to do before the party at the perfume palace, so I'll be going. Keep getting stronger." Maurice said as he left, with a long face, mostly because he did not like shopping at all. "I'm so glad to be out of there. I don't know why girls…" Maurice muttered.

However, Maurice then was knocked over when something small and blue ran past him and accidentally tripped him. Maurice picked himself up as he then saw a Riolu looking sheepishly. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Don't hurt me! It was an accident." The Riolu said as he helped Maurice get up.

"It's okay..." Maurice said as he dusted himself off. "Say, where do you come from little fella?"

"I was here with my trainer and…there was trouble and…" the Riolu muttered.

"So you lost your trainer then? Well, it's easy to get lost in a city as big as this one…now where could he or she be? What's his name, and what's your name?" Maurice asked.

"I don't have one. My trainer, like many, just refers to us by our species." Riolu replied. Then the heroes heard some loud grumbling. "Oh, that was me, I'm really, really hungry…" the Riolu noted.

"Now, we went on to grab a bite anyways…maybe you can tag along for some food until we are able to find your trainer, can't do that on an empty stomach." Maurice replied.

"I'm not supposed to go with strangers." The Riolu pointed out.

"Then let's introduce ourselves, so we no longer be strangers. I am Wataru Maurice. Just call me Maurice. And these are my mons: Haruto, Uva, Takatora and Raum." Maurice said.

"Nice meeting you!" Haruto said as he shook the Riolu's hand.

The Riolu pulled his hand back. "I am Riolu. Just Riolu…and you guys are out of your Pokéballs all the time?" he asked.

"Yeah, most trainers do that to make it easier to carry Pokémon around, but Maurice allows us stay out all the time. Besides, Maurice doesn't like to be lonely, or us to be lonely." Haruto explained.

"You are a very unorthodox trainer…" Riolu noted.

"So what if I am? Say, it feels awkward for me to keep referring to you as 'Riolu'. It'd be like if someone would call me 'human'. I may not be your trainer, but to make sure to keep you apart from other Riolu…maybe I should call you something. How about Gentaro?" Maurice asked.

"Gentaro? Sounds nice." The Riolu said. "It feels…right somehow. Now, you said you knew a good place for food."

A few minutes later, Maurice has taken the entire team to a nearby fastfood restaurant. Maurice eyed his burger with delight in his eyes. "Double beef cheeseburger, extra pickles, crispy onions…they don't make them as good as they do here." Maurice said as he took a huge bite, his face implying he was like in heaven.

He had ordered similar burgers (with sets of fries and salads) for his Pokémon as well, but the Riolu Gentaro was reluctant to take a bite. "This doesn't look like normal Pokémon food." He muttered.

"Pokémon don't need to eat Pokémon food or berries all the time. They can eat human food as well. There is no evidence that it's actually harmful. I should know, I worked at a Poké-lab." Maurice said.

"Maybe just a bite…" Gentaro said as he took the burger, sniffed it and took a bite. As soon as the taste settled in, his eyes went wide and he happily started to take more bites of it. "This thing is heaven on a bun!" he said.

"That's a mon after my heart." Maurice replied. The rest of the lunch went quietly, nothing eventful aside from the tasty food. "Now that we had a nice meal, let's go look for your trainer. Must be worried sick about you."

"Er…I'm not sure if…" Gentaro started to mutter.

"RIOLU! RIOLU! COME OUT, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE!" a voice shouted. Maurice looked in the distance and a saw a girl in a white and red outfit, blonde hair in a pigtail and rollerskates shouting out.

"Oh, I think we found her. Let's go greet her." Maurice said.

"B-b-but…" Gentaro muttered but Maurice had already approached her.

"Say miss, you're looking for a Riolu? I found him." He said.

The girl turned around and saw the Riolu. "Oh Riolu, there you are! Never run off like that again." She said as she grabbed Riolu and lifted him off the ground. "Thanks for finding him…wait, is that a ketchup stain on his fur?"

"He was hungry so I gave him some food, from all the running around he must have worked up an appetite." Maurice noted.

"Oh…he was on a diet…never mind, you couldn't know that. Thanks for finding my Riolu anyways…" the girl replied. "By the way, I am Korrina Langstrom. Just Kori for my friends. I specialize in fighting types…"

"Wataru Maurice, Pokémon Trainer. I specialize in awesome." Maurice joked. The Haruto facepawed.

"That's funny…I used to know a Maurice when I was younger, before I was sent off for…special training." Korrina replied.

"That's a coincidence, in my childhood I knew this one girl called Kori, and she was sent off at one point and haven't seen her since." Maurice noted. The two eyed each other and the penny dropped. "Kori?"

"Morry? It's really you! Oh, how could I not have recognized you? Sure, you've grown taller…more muscular…and handsome…puberty is really kind to you." Korrina said as she eyed him.

"You changed a lot as well…I am used to seeing you with your hair down. The helmet threw me off." Maurice noted.

Korrina removed her helmet, and undid her ponytail. "Does this look better?" she asked.

"That's the Kori I knew…I can't believe it has been so long. Last time we saw each other we were…like seven I think?" Maurice noted. "We have a lot to catch up on…care to grab a drink? I know a nice Café around here…"

"Is that your way of asking me out on a date?" Korrina teased. Maurice blushed. "Just pulling your chain. Me and Riolu would love to join you for a drink."

"Gentaro." Maurice replied. Korrina raised an eyebrow. "It was not my place to do so, but to differ him from other Riolu I just called him 'Gentaro' for the moment. He seems to get attached to that name."

"I was never good at nicknaming Pokémon…you always had a talent for creative nicknames. Seems the more things change, the more stay the same." She said. "We really have a lot to talk about. Just lead the way, we are still having that drink after all." Maurice walked in front, Korrina close behind, as she then eyed Maurice from behind. "Though I don't mind turning this in a date…yes, show me that booty!" she thought to herself as she looked down at his lower back. Only Gentaro didn't look happy.

After sitting down at a nearby café, Korrina has been telling about her life after she and Maurice drifted apart. "I was sent away by dad for some special training so I would be able to take over the Gym. I wanted to honor my family business but at the same time wanted to achieve my dream of pro-skater. I managed to do both, and even blended my fighting style with my skating. Funny thing, isn't it?" she noted. "But enough about me. I always thought you wanted to become a researcher, so why a trainer?"

"I needed the money. My mom…she got heart problems. She needs a new heart. Being a trainer is full of risks but I couldn't just stand by. I needed to take that chance." Maurice said.

Korrina had an awkward look on her face. "Oh…" she bit her lip. "That's very noble of you. I wish I could speak for experience. But I never knew my mother myself. I just had my dad and…he was kind of distant. I respected him but he was teaching a student rather than raising a daughter."

"Your dad was a good teacher…I still remember all the moves he taught me. But I never really knew about your situation at home." Maurice noted. "Sounds actually pretty sad…how is the old man anyways?"

"He's passed on. He lived unhealthy for the last few years, a heart attack wasn't far off. I wish I could shed more tears about him…but while I'm sad I can't cry. Like our said, our relationship was strained." Korrina replied.

"It's a shame things don't turn out the way we want them, right?" Maurice said as he took a sip of his drink.

"It is. But on the other hand, a lot of good has happened as well. I see you again after all this time. Shame we drifted apart because you were the only one who cared." Korrina said. "We should get together more often. I still feel like I haven't been able to tell you all what I wanted…"

"Maybe that's all right." Maurice said as he pulled out a ticket. "I am invited somewhere. It's a fancy thing so I don't know if you'll be at home there but…I'm allowed to bring someone along."

"You really mean it?" Korrina asked.

"If someone doesn't deserve to be alone, it's you." Maurice said gently.

"You really are a gentleman, Morry." She said with a seductive grin.

"Bro… 'Morry', can we talk?" Haruto asked. Haruto excused himself as Haruto took Maurice apart. "Listen, I don't know about this girl because I wasn't around in your life, but I feel something is off about her…"

"Off? What do you mean?" Maurice asked.

"I dunno…it's a sixth sense Pokémon thing. There is something about her I don't trust. And don't you think that Riolu was a bit reluctant to return to her?" Haruto wondered.

"I appreciate your concern, but Kori isn't a bad girl. She was always nice to me when she was younger. She doesn't appear to have changed personality-wise, no reason to worry." Maurice assured him.

"Weren't there any other kids you've seen her interact with?" Haruto asked.

"No…she was kept sheltered most of her life. I was the only one she had interacted with, but that was because I was student of her dad's." Maurice noted. "But you worry too much, give her a chance, bro!" Maurice said as he returned to his seat. "Sorry, Kori, just some stuff between bros."

"Bros?" Korrina asked.

"Yeah, I got Haruto since I was eight, and we become more like brothers then pet and owner. Pokémon often get treated as pets, but are smarter than people give them credit for." Maurice noted.

"That's…fascinating…" Korrina said in a reluctant tone. "But let's not talk about mons, let's talk about us for the moment…"

"Hey, Maurice!" a hyper excited voice sounded. It was Shauna again, and she was joined again by Serena. "You dropped something back at the shop. We've been searching Lumiose to give it back to you." She said as she handed a card to Maurice.

"Oh…thanks. My Hero Rider Fanclub Membership Card…can't believe I didn't notice that." Maurice said as he put it away. "Thanks, Shauna. You're the best." Maurice said, that compliment being a spur of the moment.

Shauna however liked the sound of it and blushed. "No problem, anything for you…" she muttered. She then noticed Kori and her happiness seemed to fade slightly. "Who is she?"

"Oh…I forgot. Guys, this is Korrina Langstrom, or Kori. She's an old friend of mine from before I met you guys, we have met each other again after all this time." Maurice said. "Korrina, meet Serena, my colleague at Sycamore's lab, and Shauna, rookie trainer, both are helping me out gathering the money for Mom."

"Nice…meeting you…" Korrina said, a bit through clenched teeth. She shook Shauna's hand and Shauna made a painful face. "Sorry…don't know my own strength." She said, though she really didn't sound sorry. "Excuse me, I have to quickly ask Morry something." She said as she quickly dragged Maurice off.

"Morry? They're on nickname tour with each other? Does that mean they're serious?" Shauna muttered.

"They just reunited after years of absence, I doubt it will be that serious. Besides, Maurice is perhaps a genius when it comes to Pokémon but about girls he's as thick as a brick." Serena noted.

"Listen…I know you said you and Maurice see each other as siblings but…have you never thought about…" Shauna asked curiously.

"Heck no…it would feel wrong. Besides I…well, I…" Serena said, looking a bit awkward. She leaned over to Shauna and whispered something in her ear.

"Oh! I never would have guessed…" Shauna said.

"Please don't tell anyone." Serena asked.

"Ok. Your secret is safe with me!" Shauna said. "But back to that Kori girl…don't you think she seems a bit off?"

"Off? Well, she is a bit weird, but we are not to judge a person from first impressions." Serena said.

"I got a sixth sense for this sort of things and something about her doesn't sit well with me. But I can't exactly tell what. But I can't really explain…" Shauna said.

"Aren't you just jealous?" Serena asked.

"No, my jealousy hasn't anything to do with it…I mean, why should I be jealous of her?" Shauna muttered.

"And I thought Maurice was thick about emotions." Serena muttered.

"Say Kori, what is this all about?" Maurice asked as Korrina has taken him apart.

"What is with you and those two girls?" she asked. "I mean, what is your…relationship with them?"

"Serena is like a sister and Shauna…you could say it's a mentor thing since she starts out, even if she doesn't seem to need much advice and is getting strong real fast. But why you ask?" Maurice asked.

"You really are that obvious?" Kori asked. Then her scowl turned into a sweet smile. "I almost forgot how cute you were when you are being dumb. Never mind what I said…I need to go now, a lot to do at the gym…SEE YOU AT THE PARTY!" she said, that last one louder than the rest, so Shauna could hear it as she left. Gentaro looked back sheepishly, waved and then reluctantly went along.

"Party?" Shauna asked.

"Oh, didn't I tell, I asked her to come with me to the Perfume Palace party…I'm allowed to bring someone along. Kori used to be really sheltered most of her life so I felt I was doing her a favor by trying to help her mingle with some people." Maurice said.

Shauna looked petrified. In anime fashion we could see a giant heart above her head shatter to pieces, as she herself became white form head to toe, with the clear 'sorrow lines' around her head, also in anime fashion.

"I know you don't like those kind of parties Serena and…I'm not sure if I should have asked Shauna, I don't know enough about her to know if she would have liked it. But Kori just seemed to need it more." Maurice said.

Shauna's eye twitched. Maurice would have asked her if Kori hadn't come along… "But look at the time, there are still many things to do before the party…see you girls later, I'll tell you about it later!" Maurice said.

Serena looked Maurice leave and then at a broken Shauna. "I told you he was obvious. I'm sorry…"

"We need to go to that party as well! I don't trust her with Maurice!" Shauna said.

"Unless you can pull an invitation out of nowhere, there is nothing you can do about it. Besides, it's not like there will be a solution coming out of thin air." Serena responded.

"What? You mean they can't come?" a very loud voice screamed behind them. They saw a businessman talking in his phone. "That means I'll be three waiters short for the Perfume Palace Party…if I have a shortage of employees, the party will be a mess and my rep will be ruined! I can't get any replacements on such a short notice…I'm done, my life is over…"

"That's convenient!" Shauna said with a twinkle in her eyes. "We can offer ourselves up as replacements and be at that party."

"We? No, I'm not going to go there. I won't help you in this half-brained scheme." Serena said, but Shauna pulled off the most heartstring-pulling, weepy puppy-dog face you can imagine. "No, don't give me that, it won't work…Okay, you can stop now…please stop with the face…all right, I'll do it, just stop making that face."

"Yay! Now, we need to find someone to take that third place…" Shauna said with a pondering look on her face.

"Hey guys!" the voice of Quincy sounded as he greeted the two girls. He held a box of chili fries in his hands. "You never guess what has happened. I tried to find a way to Geosenge, but I somehow ended up here again, and I was looking for the Pokécenter, and I accidentally came at a restaurant, where they make these awesome chili fries! My sense of direction may suck but it has brought me to wonderful places."

"Luck is on my side." Shauna thought with a huge grin on her face. She turned to Quincy, still that huge smile. "Oh Quincy…"

"Er…why do you look at me like that?" Quincy asked.

"If I were you, I'd run." Serena noted.

"Huh, I don't know what you mean…and why does Shauna has that huge grin on her face?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter five is up. And Korrina is making her debut, and she will have a larger and more unconventional role in my fanfic, mostly because she was the gym leader with the most screentime in the game.

And this chapter focuses more on relationships and comedy. And we get to see a more devious side of Shauna.

Maurice's Team so far:

Haruto the Braixen  
Raum the Pidgeotto  
Uva the Butterfree  
Takatora the Ivysaur


	6. Perfume Palace Party

EPSILON: THE POKEMON Y NUZLOCKE

CHAPTER SIX: PERFUME PALACE PARTY

"How did I get into this mess?" Quincy moaned as he was wearing a waiter suit and would be forced to serve tiny snacks to higher upper class which would be boring as hell for him. Hannah the Flabébé hid in his chest pocket, still the shy thing she is. Gingersnap is still in his Pokéball after suffering from recent trauma.

"That girl sure is very convincing. I would normally not wear an outfit like this in a thousand years." Serena said, now dressed in a maid's outfit. Chives, Kero and her Charmander Cynder, also had small accessoires, and also held trays with snacks for the upper class Pokemon. Chives and Kero had bow ties, and Cinder had a small inflammable skirt.

Kero was vastly asleep, oddly enough while still standing up holding the tray. Chives didn't seem to mind and his face was neutral, like the rest for the waiters. Cinder looked uncomfortable. "You know you could have left me in my Pokéball for the rest of the evening instead of having me help serve these spoilt rich brats." Cinder muttered.

"I promise to make it up to you later…somehow. I don't know how yet, okay, but I will." Shauna said nervously towards her friends.

Fluffy the Skitty was balancing a tray on her tail, her new Squirtle Sheldon had a bow tie, and so did Chester, the very unhappy looking Quilladin. "This bow tie is killing me. We should be out there kicking ass of other trainers, not serve these…whatever these are. If my siblings found out they'd never let me live it down."

"I dunno about you, but I look quite classy with this bow tie. Very sophisticated." Sheldon said as he adjusted it.

"What is even that stuff we're serving, I'm sure that these are not miniature cheeseburgers." Chester said, scratching his head in confusion.

"The pinkish grey stuff is Paté, goose liver paste, and the tiny black things are caviar, fish eggs." Sheldon explained. Chester looked kind of sick. He didn't like the thought of goose guts and fish eggs being eaten by any kind, himself being a vegetarian to his species' nature.

"Now keep an eye out for Maurice and that weird Korrina girl. I don't want to lose sight of them." Shauna said determined. "He should be arriving any moment. And when that girl shows her bad side, she's going to get it!"

"We were supposed to prevent her from doing something stupid, not…end up where we are now!" Quincy groaned.

"We allowed ourselves to be captivated by her. But if things go wrong, she'll realize her mistake and has to learn from it. Sometimes there is no better teacher then reality." Serena groaned.

"Reality is I am wearing a stupid skirt!" Cynder groaned.

"There they are!" Shauna said as she noticed him coming in.

Maurice has ditched the cap and combed his hair neatly. He was also wearing his tux, which he felt uncomfortable in. Korrina had a golden-colored dress that fitted her well, she let her hair down, and wore a necklace around her neck. She had locked arms with Maurice but Maurice was just staring around as he didn't notice being ogled by his date.

"The professor inviting you to such an event, you must be really special, Morry. But I already knew that of course." Korrina said.

"Speaking off, there he is. Hey professor!" Maurice said as he greeted Sycamore.

"Ah, Maurice! How delightful that you made it. Who is your charming companion?" Sycamore asked.

"This is Korrina, a childhood friend of mine. We haven't seen each other in a long time so I invited her over to catch up." Maurice explained.

"Well, a friend of Maurice is a friend of mine, nice meeting you. Professor Augustine Sycamore. But never call me Augustine. Please don't." the Professor greeted her with a friendly handshake. "Oh, that's right, I was to introduce Maurice to a few friends, one of them trying to help Maurice with a dilemma."

"Oh…what kind of dilemma? Dating advice, perhaps?" Korrina asked.

"No…just something terrible that has happened recently and…it was something I search an explanation for. He may know it." Maurice said. "Bring me to him, professor." Maurice then turned to his Pokémon. "You guys try to mingle or amuse yourselves, as I get some answers, okay?"

"Ok with me. Besides, I see a very cute Oddish over there I'd like to introduce myself to." Takatora said as he went inside the direction of the said Oddish.

"I am going to smell the flowers in the garden if you don't mind." Uva said as he went for the gardens.

"I am going to help myself to some fine dining, and those canapés look positively delicious." Raum said as he flew away.

"And I'll just stay here, ditched." Haruto groaned as he was left alone.

They were guided towards a bunch of people. A woman in a white fur coat, who looked like someone's hot mom: aged but still looking very appealing for her age. She was flanked by a Hawlucha and a Gardevoir, who both wore sunglasses for some reason. She was talking to another lady, who had long black hair, her eyes were mostly closed and had earrings with huge dragon fangs in them, making Maurice wonder how her ears hadn't fallen off yet. "Congrats on your latest bestseller Drasna. But I should not be surprised. You always make a hit every time you pick up a pen."

"Just trying to give people something to enjoy. I could say the same about your movie roles. You still steal the show every time a camera is pointed at your direction." The woman named Drasna replied.

Professor Sycamore greeted them. "Hey ladies, may I introduce you to my star employee and genius professor in the making, Maurice. And his date." Sycamore said. "Maurice, meet Diantha Duquesne, and Drasna Dracil. You probably heard of them, champion and elite four member respectively, well known actress and writer."

"Oh, I know you. Ms. Dracil wrote the fantasy novels Barry Trotter, which I loved when I was a kid. I haven't touched those in a while unfortunately. And Ms. Diantha played a role in the original Hero Rider as the main love interest for the main character, Takeru Hondo." Maurice realized.

"Ah yes, that was one of my earliest roles. Everyone nowadays brings up how they loved me in my movie roles, and no one brings up the times I played characters in a cheesy superhero tv show. I wish I could have played in more of those in fact. It's at least nice to see someone remembers the good old days." Diantha said.

"You know, becoming a trainer to save money and save your mom's life, that is very noble and inspiring, someone should make a novel about that. It would not only be a good read, but would probably inspire many other people in the future to do the right thing as well." Drasna said with a pondering look on her face.

Korrina just looked bored by all of this. "Er…Ms. Duquesne, Ms. Dracil, this is all very interesting but we need to look for someone who can answer Maurice's questions about…" Korrina said as she came closer, only for the Gardevoir and the Hawlucha to stand in between her and look at her menacingly.

"Gardenia, Luka, please, save that for the battlefield." Diantha said. "I'm sorry, they really are protective of me. They get that sometimes. My Pokémon are darling as both fighters and actors, but they also make much better bodyguards then any human can be." Diantha said. Gardenia and Luka backed off, but they still eyed Korrina carefully.

"I wish I could make my Pokémon act like that." Korrina muttered. "I just recently got promoted to Gym Leader but there are some…flaws to work out."

"That'll come in due time. Time is one must take for the good things in life." Diantha said.

"But what about the things you don't have time for?" a voice said behind them. A familiar looking man popped up behind them, joined by an equally familiar looking woman. Maurice recognized them. Lysander, the head of Lysander TV and philanthropist, and Malva, the anchorwoman of his news channel. And she was also a member of the Elite four.

"Lysander, I should have known. How are you doing, darling? How are your daughters?" Diantha said.

"They are fine. Currently doing something for their studies near Cyllage City. But you are avoiding my question, dear Diantha. You are still very beautiful, but you can't avoid the sands of time forever. Have you ever wished to be this beautiful forever?" Lysander asked.

"In moments of weakness I may have, but time is something that can't stop for anyone, and we have to do best with the time we have. In my time I hoped to have inspired enough people with my movies." Diantha said.

"Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and while I try to make this world better, good things may end and make place for bad things, and this world may end altogether. Sad, isn't it?" Lysander said. "There are wonderful people like you two ladies, who try to inspire future generations by putting messages in their films and novels…and others like this charming young man, who fights for the ones he loves." Lysander continues as he approached Maurice. "Yes, Mr. Wataru, I know of your exploits, through a mutual acquaintance of yours, one who has both helped us kick off." He whispered silently towards him.

Maurice realized Lysander knew Mr. Raoul Azar as well. If Mr. Azar was an acquaintance of Mr. Lysander, it means that indirectly the most influential philanthropist may be helping out with his problems. "Don't mind all the bad poetry he resides, he doesn't know when to be grounded in reality." Malva said, who seemed just as bored as Korrina was.

"Acknowledging reality is cruel doesn't make it any less bearable. So I won't stop in my endeavors. Even if I have to fight to change the very laws of the universe." Maurice said. "For my mother."

"You see Malva, you are too pessimistic, take an example to this boy, he won't let anything stop him to do what he believes is right. Learn to open up a bit. Newsreading is a serious business but you don't have to be serious all the time." Lysander said. Malva just rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, she was born without any sense of humor." Lysander joked.

"It was all fine meeting you, but Maurice should really get his answers so we have the rest of the evening to ourselves." Korrina said as she tried to drag Maurice along.

"What do you mean?" Maurice asked.

"Heh, he's adorably ignorant about relationships." Korrina said as she went behind Maurice and pushed him along. "Say, where is the person he is looking for?" Korrina asked.

"I last saw him at the dessert table." Diantha noted.

"Thanks!" Korrina said as he dragged a confused Maurice along.

Gardenia the Gardevoir still eyed Korrina suspiciously. "You don't trust her either, do you?" Haruto asked. He has followed Maurice along after the rest had split up. "That boy was my trainer. He trusts Korrina, but I don't. Something is off about her."

"You are not a psychic type yet, but you show some potential already. You can also sense it, right?" Gardenia asked. "I don't doubt she is fond of Maurice but something about her interest seems rather cold…odd for something involving a romance, even one-sided." Gardenia grabbed Haruto's shoulders. "Never let your trainer go out of your sight when she's around her."

"I won't…" Haruto noted.

Takatora was strolling to the foods with a black eye. "How was I supposed to know that Oddish was a male…" he muttered. He then saw Chester, with his bow tie. He had a huge grin on his face. "Well, well, look who we got here, serving fish eggs…"

"I know I made fun of you, and I know the urge is great to make fun of me in return, but please let me have some dignity. I'm just going this to make my trainer happy, she forced me into this." Chester groaned. Takatora looked like he was trying hard to hold back his laughter. "Okay, you think you are funny…why the black eye?" Chester asked.

"From an Oddish…the leafy thing was a…picky type who doesn't like reptillians, she said to me she's more of a fan of the mammalian types." Takatora said, trying his best to make a neutral face.

"Cute oddish who likes mammals, well I better go serve her some snacks." Chester said as he want in the direction of the Oddish.

"Sucker!" Takatora muttered under his breath. "Wait, if Chester was here, that means that chick whose crazy over Maurice would be here too." Takatora noticed Shauna hiding behind a pillar overlooking Maurice, Serena and Quincy reluctantly with her. "Hey, girl. Whatcha doing here, and why the outfits?"

"Oh, we got caught." Quincy noted.

"Please don't tell Maurice I'm doing this. I just have a bad vibe about that Korrina girl and I just want to see if she is not up to anything. And don't be mad at Serena and Quincy, I dragged them into this." Shauna begged.

"This is not the healthiest or sanest way to get a man, toots." Takatora noted. Shauna pulled the puppy dog eyes. "All right, I'll zip it. But only this once."

"And better don't tell Maurice about me in this dress. I know I laughed at his tux, but I don't want to be on the receiving end of the irony." Serena added.

Maurice was at the dessert table, where he saw the odd sight of a guy with blonder hair, dressed like a chef and a guy who dresses up in medieval armor. "Siebold, my comrade, thine desserts are magnificent as always." The guy in armor said.

"Yet you almost leave nothing for the other guests, control yourself a bit. I'm surprised you are still able to fit inside that armor of yours. Why do you even wear all that? The medieval fair is done with already." Siebold groaned.

"I haveth a Steel theme going on, and if it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing!" the guy in armor said as he patted Siebold on the back, harder then he intended as he almost knocked over Siebold.

"Er…Excuse me?" Maurice asked the duo. "I am looking for the historian. Professor Sycamore may have told about me, and that I have some questions? Wataru Maurice?"

"Look no further. It is I, Wikstrom, famous historian, and overly dramatic stage actor. Also member of the Elite Four alongside my friend Siebold here."

"Wait, he's the historian?" Korrina asked surprised upon pointing at the eccentric armor wearing man.

"Hard to believe is it? Almost as hard to believe this guy ate ninety percent of the desserts." Siebold noted.

"No worries, for those who want to learn about the horrible and at the same time the wonders from times long since passed, I am your man. Wickstrom, at thou service!" Wikstrom said, overly dramatic, bowing in respect.

"Do you have cheese to go with that ham?" Maurice asked.

"Cheese…that remind me, wasn't there this marvelous cheesecake thou has prepared?" Wikstrom asked.

"No, you don't get a crumb anymore. Just go and tell the kid what he needs to know, but you are messing up my catering. Now get out." Siebold said annoyed.

"He should be honored, that his desserts are so irresistible." Wikstrom said as he and Maurice went off somewhere separate. "Now, young one, you had a specific question for me?"

"Yes…Something has happened during one of my fights…My Flabébé. She didn't faint, she died. That should normally not happen…then I realized a war that happened long ago, where Pokémon did die fighting one another. Has anything from research thought us how during that war, the Pokémon bypassed the limitations and could end each other like that?"

Wikstrom got a pondering look on his face, which was surprising if you saw him five minutes ago. "Fair question. Yes, it did happen during the war. Professor Sycamore has explained how Pokémon have special energy reserves to settle conflicts without death. But war was different. Normally wars could be resolved peacefully with friendly competition. But something instilled something in the trainers, and afterwards to a degree in the Pokémon…" Wikstrom started to explain. "Everything associated with this is speculation, and it walks on the line between legends and facts."

"Legends or not, I need to know." Maurice said.

"All right. There has been a legend that the king that started the war, King AZ (pronounced A-zett) started the war after blaming a neighboring kingdom's royalty for the murder of a loved one. It would normally be settled with a normal Pokémon battle, but they say the Angel of Death made sure they Pokémon participating died." Wikstrom said.

"Angel of Death?" Maurice asked.

"Yes, the King made a deal to have his Pokémon being able to kill the other so that the enemy king would feel the pain of losing a loved one. But it ended up backfiring as he send all of the Pokémon on an attack, and King AZ retributed. You know the rest, a war that waged on for years." Wikstrom continued. "How the war was ended was unclear. It was said that King AZ was able to create a powerful weapon that destroyed the neighboring kingdom. But to create a weapon of that caliber should not have been possible at that time. Like we said, no one knows the exact reasons, though these legends are the only thing scientists can go on, and still investigate, since legends are always based on facts…where does the source for these legends lie."

"What can you tell me about this 'Angel of Death', and this weapon?" Maurice asked.

"Well, people believe the Angel of Death refers to a Pokémon, a legendary Pokémon in fact. We thought these Pokémon were either extinct or non-existant. But recent events, like the Spear Pillar in Sinnoh, the climate going haywire in Hoenn, may prove such Pokémon may do exist. This Pokémon may refer to Yveltal. The legendary Pokémon which is associated with death, and destruction." Wikstrom said.

"I thought Giratina was the Pokémon of Death?" Maurice asked.

"No, no, no. Think of Giratina and Yveltal as Hades and Thanatos. The ancient gods of myth. Giratina is Hades, who oversees the land of the dead, Tartarus. Thanatos is the real god of Death, who greets the people when they die…the counterpart of Yveltal." Wikstrom explained.

"The Pokémon that killed my Flabébé acted possessed. Like this shadowy thing was controlling it. Is it possible this 'Angel of Death' is a Ghost type or something?" Maurice asked.

"Yveltal is not a ghost type. There have been inscriptions of a giant bird raining down black energy…it must be a dark type, as there are no possible records. The only other legendary Ghost-Type, Giratina, rules the land of the dead, he has no reason to take possession of living bodies, and has probably not even that power. And normal ghost types are capable of minor possession, but even they can't force the limits of other Pokémon to be abandoned." Wikstrom said.

"Then what is it?" Maurice asked, sounding desperate.

"That was unfortunately all I know. Legends can only take one so far. And history has many holes, that are still trying to be filled up, and things trying to be explained, trying to see things through the eyes of people of the past…But time is not madlibs, you can't fill in random words. You have to investigate. The past carries many mysteries, makes you wonder why they are not carried over to future generations all the time. That makes my job so fascinating." Wikstrom said.

"Even if the answers are still vague…I want to thank you for at least trying to help me; Mr. Wikstrom." Maurice said as he prepared to leave. "I just wish that if I am to enter in the realm of the supernatural, who else I could turn to."

"That's a question I can't answer. Some answers you'll have to find on your own. Now if you excuse me, there is a slice of cheesecake with my name on it." Wikstrom said as he happily returned to the dessert table.

Korrina impatiently waited until Maurice would be done talking to Wikstrom in the distance. She then twitches her head, as if she heard something. "Okay, whoever you are, you can come out, I know you're there." Shauna silently cursed as she revealed herself. "Hey, you're that kid with ADHD that is after Morry. What was your name? Shantra or something?"

"Shauna!" she corrected Korrina.

"Why humiliate yourself like this? I mean, playing servant, and chasing after Maurice? A guy who is too skilled, too handsome and way too good for the likes of you!" Korrina said.

"Likes of me? What do you mean?" Shauna asked angrily.

"You barely qualify as a trainer, you're a ditzy airhead who can't take a freakin' hint…I on the other hand have a very successful dojo, my very own martial art style and I run a gym, I am way more successful, not to mention I knew Maurice way before you did." Korrina said.

"You haven't seen him in years, you don't know anything about him." Shauna said. "I only just met him, that's true, but I have a good reason to care for him. He inspired me, he is one to fight for the right reasons…what do you want Maurice for?"

"None of your beeswax, kid…me and Maurice understand each other, unlike anyone of you. Not you, not the chick with the narcoleptic frog. I am the only one he should be with. He needs no one else, everyone else will just tie him down." Korrina said.

"Well, tough luck for you. I am helping Maurice get the money he needs to cure his mother. So he holds me in high regard, at least as a friend. You can't prevent me from being part of his life." Shauna said.

"Oh yes, his mommy dearest. As long as that is going on, he's going to be distracted." Korrina thought.

"I don't like the way you say that. If you're not careful, people may think you are up to something bad, and I wouldn't put it past the likes of you." Shauna growled.

"So what if I would? And I'm not saying I am…who is he going to believe? Me, or you!" Korrina said with a smug grin on her face. "Now scram, make yourself useful and serve prawns to those rich brats, servant."

"Now listen here, missy!" Sheldon said, coming to the defense of his trainer. "Shauna isn't perfect, but she is a nice girl, which I can't say for you, and she doesn't deserve any of the crap you are giving her!" Sheldon was kicked in the nose and knocked on the ground.

"Whoops, didn't see you there…my foot slipped." Korrina said.

"Okay, I don't care what you say to me! But you don't hurt my Pokémon, bitch!" Shauna said as she charged at Korrina, but Korrina was a lot faster, not to mention martial artist and had Shauna on the ground in a matter of seconds.

"You see, barely a threat. And I barely have to move." Korrina said.

"Oh, just wait, you are getting just desserts!" Shauna moved to the dessert table, grabbed a cake and tossed it in Korrina's face. Korrina grew angry. She rushed at Shauna, who jumped aside in the nick of time. But Korrina grabbed a pie and tossed it at Shauna, who was hit.

Shauna got mad. "Sheldon…water pulse!" Sheldon formed an orb of water in his mouth. Korrina summoned a Machop, who just batted the water pulse away, in the dessert table, which caused all the sweets to shoot in all directions and hit everyone. The only one enjoying it was Wikstrom, who licked the cheesecake of his face.

Both girls saw everyone stare at them. Korrina thought quickly, dropped on her feet, crying. "That girl just attacked me!" she said.

"I did not, she started it!" Shauna shouted.

Maurice arrived on the scene, chocolate frosting all over his tuxedo. He stared down at the two girls, who both looked sheepishly. "What have you two been doing?"

"She attacked me!" Korrina said.

"She hit Sheldon, I hit back!" Shauna said.

"That Squirtle tried biting me!" Korrina weeped.

"No he didn't!" Shauna said.

"Morry, you know me since we were young, who do you believe?" Kori said.

"You know I wouldn't hurt a fly, do you?" Shauna asked.

The arguing continued with a thousand instances of "Maurice?" being repeated by both the girls. "Quiet, both of you! I don't know who started and I do not care. Both of you act like toddlers. I don't even want to know what this is about. I both held you in high regard, but that you'd be capable of this…I rather don't want to talk to any of you. You can still help me get the money I need, but only talk to me when you start making sense." Maurice said as he stormed off in anger.

"This is your fault!" Korrina growled.

"This is both your faults, and you are going to spend the rest of the evening cleaning up this mess!" The owner of the palace said as he handed both of them and their Pokémon a mop and some buckets with water. "I'll be spending the next couple of hours trying to comfort my guests and not avoid me from this point on."

Shauna sighed and got started. She realized that no matter what Korrina did she shouldn't have let her temper get the best of her like that. Her Pokémon were helpful enough to aid her. Especially Sheldon's water gun could use high pressure water to get things more easily.

"You could use a hand." Serena said as she and Quincy came onto the scenes with some buckets and mops as well, their Pokémon helping too.

"Why help me? I made a fool of myself, and I dragged you into this. You shouldn't feel obliged for anything." Shauna asked.

"You did a dumb thing but for the right reason. But we feel guilty for not trying to help you prevent all this. We just let it happen. That's not what friends should do." Serena said as she rolled up her sleeves. "We'll help you explain things to Maurice if you like."

"No, I'll do this by myself, I already dragged you into a big mess. If anyone has to justify myself, it's me. But I mean when I said I would make it up. What if I treat you for a burger or some chili fries after this mess is cleaned up?" Shauna said.

"I can live with that." Quincy said happily.

"If I get my hands on that Ivysaur I'll kick his ass for trying to hook me up with a male Oddish!" Chester muttered under his breath.

Korrina kept quiet the during the whole ordeal. She was working in a different room to not hear the 'stupid ones' talk. "Stupid friends, stupid people, stupid mother, they all tie Maurice down, he could be legendary but he wastes time with them because he's a gullible softie. A handsome one, sure. But he should get rid of those distractions…"

"I can help with that." A voice said to her.

"Who said that?" Korrina asked.

"Me? I'm someone who seeks the same as you. He doesn't know it yet, but Maurice is going to be a part of a bigger plan I have, and like you I need to cut him off from any attachments. For now, his mother's life is in my hands, just so I have a grip on him, but once I have him on the path I want she is no longer needed. Then, you can have him. You both get a part in this scheme. You two will be together, at the top of the world." The voice replied.

"I like the way you think, but can you show yourself?" Korrina asked.

"I have many forms, but I can take a shape that will suit." The voice crawled from the shadows as a cloaked figure. He reached out a gloved hand. "So…Partners?"

"For Maurice…anything!" Korrina said as she shook his hand, the back of her hand glowing as an epsilon symbol appears on the back of her hand.

TO BE CONTINUED

The rivalry between Shauna and Korrina escalates, yet in the end no one has the cake and gets to eat it. Except Wikstrom.


End file.
